Praise for the novels of Rick Mofina
IN DESPERATION
“A blisteringly paced story that cuts to the bone.
It left me ripping through pages deep into the night.”
—James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author
“A superbly written thriller that
plumbs the depths of every parent’s nightmare.
Timely, tense, and terrifying, this book is sure to be a big hit!”
—Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author
THE PANIC ZONE
“Taut pacing, rough action and jagged dialogue feed a relentless pace. The Panic Zone is written with sizzling intent.”
—Hamilton Spectator
“The Panic Zone is a headlong rush toward Armageddon.
Its brisk pace and tight focus remind me
of early Michael Crichton.”
—Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author
VENGEANCE ROAD
“Vengeance Road is a thriller with no speed limit!
It’s a great read!”
—Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author
“A gripping no-holds-barred mystery…
lightning paced…with enough twists to
keep you turning pages well into the wee hours.”
—Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author
SIX SECONDS
“[A] well-crafted and timely thriller.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Six Seconds should be Rick Mofina’s breakout thriller.
It moves like a tornado.”
—James Patterson, New York Times bestselling author
Also by Rick Mofina and MIRA Books
IN DESPERATION
THE PANIC ZONE
VENGEANCE ROAD
SIX SECONDS
And watch for Rick Mofina’s next thriller,
available October 2012
Other books by Rick Mofina
A PERFECT GRAVE
EVERY FEAR
THE DYING HOUR
BE MINE
NO WAY BACK
BLOOD OF OTHERS
COLD FEAR
IF ANGELS FALL
This book is for
Mildred Marmur
Give sorrow words: the grief that does not speak
Whispers the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break.
—Macbeth, Act iv, Scene iii
William Shakespeare
1
Ramapo, Metropolitan New York City
Maybe the worst was really over, Lisa Palmer thought, driving home alone to Queens from Upstate New York.
Her fingers tightened on the wheel. She was trying to get a grip on her life, trying to regain control, but it was hard, so hard. It had been nearly two years since her husband, Bobby, had died, but now, for the first time, Lisa believed that she and her kids would endure.
They had to.
They needed to move on with their lives. Selling the cabin in the Adirondacks was the first big step Lisa had taken.
But was it the right thing to do?
She glanced at the passenger seat and the slim briefcase holding all the paperwork. A few hours ago she’d closed the sale at the Realtor’s office. The new owners, a retired chef and his wife, a florist, from Newark, would take possession in thirty days.
The cabin was still Lisa’s until then.
She had promised Ethan and Taylor one last visit to the lake. It was important for all of them to say goodbye to this part of their lives. They’d go up to the cabin together in a few weeks. Lisa brushed a tear from her eye. God, the kids loved it there. She did, too. It was on Lake George and so pretty. It had been in Bobby’s family since his great-grandfather bought it in 1957.
Bobby had treasured the place. Lisa’s hand shook when she’d signed the papers and all the way down I-87 she’d begged Bobby to forgive her.
I had to do it. The insurance is still a mess. The bills keep coming. I can’t make ends meet anymore, not on my pay. The cabin was our only asset. I’m so sorry. I have to think of the future; of going on without you.
She would always love Bobby. But while her aching for him would never stop, she found hope in the thick forests that swept down the hills and rock cuts of the region.
Suddenly, she felt he was near.
He was a mechanic who’d quit school to work in a garage in Corona. A kind, good-looking guy who was good with cars. He loved history, always had his nose in a book. It was at this point of the cabin drive that he would say that the lumber and iron from these hills helped build New York City. Then he would tell her how George Washington had climbed one of the rocks out there and watched for British ships down by Sandy Hook.
Lisa smiled at the memory as her Ford Focus glided down the New York Thruway. After drinking the last of her bottled water, she decided she’d take a break at the new truck stop coming up at the exit for Ramapo, which would put her about an hour or so from home.
This trip to sell the cabin had overwhelmed her. Along the drive, she thought of her best friend from the old neighborhood, Sophia Gretto. They’d grown up together and were like sisters. Even after Sophia had left Queens for college in California they’d kept in touch. Now Sophia was an executive with a public relations firm. Her husband, Ted, was an entertainment lawyer. No children, two Mercedes and a house on Mulholland Drive. Lisa was a supermarket cashier in Queens who never made it to college.
When Bobby died, Sophia and Ted flew to New York to be with Lisa and the kids. Ted had been a saint. They’d both been so good to her.
In the months after Bobby’s death, Sophia had visited a few times and called almost every day.
“Why don’t you think about moving to Los Angeles,” Sophia suggested a few months ago, during one of their calls.
“I couldn’t.”
“Ted and I could get you a job in one of our offices. You could take courses and get your real estate license like we talked about. We could help you, Ethan and Taylor. Think it over.”
“I don’t know, Sophia. It could be too much change for the kids.”
“Promise me you’ll just think about it, honey, okay?”
Lisa did.
In fact, it was all she could think about.
Being a cashier was a good job, but it was not what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Before she’d met Bobby and got pregnant, Lisa had dreamed of going to college to study interior decorating and start her own business. It didn’t happen. After high school she had to work to help take care of her mother. Lisa loved Bobby and her life with the kids, but in a far corner of her heart her dream still flickered.