SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Slaughter County, the name conjures up all sorts of disturbing images. In reality, nothing noteworthy ever happens in this quiet hamlet &ndash, not if you',re a homicide detective anyway. Not until that fateful autumn evening ... The midnight sky was pitch-black, save for a sliver of a crescent moon overhead. Off in the distance emanated the lights of the city, oblivious to the darkness of this deed. A face suddenly appeared upon the reflection of the glass as the flame was lit &ndash, it was the face of vengeance &ndash, the face of evil. A phone call was made just as the match ignited its means to an end. A groggy, barely audible ",Hello", reverberated through the phone. ",Click", and the phone met its fate in the fledgling fire. As the inferno began to spread a single act remained ..._,