Chapter 1

I was a disgrace to the entire journalism profession. They said I chased "thrills," which meant I starred in adult films and fell into a crippling drug habit.

Dr. Julian Vance, the chief forensic scientist and my ex-husband, was the one who despised me. He threw me out of our home, accusing me of selling my skin for a quick buck.

Later, I vanished completely, just as he wanted.

It wasn't until five years later that Julian received a call from the police department, asking him to pick up an abandoned child.

"Can you help me find my mommy? She was sleeping in a red suitcase, and someone carried her away."

Lily's innocent words brought a roar of laughter from the room.

To them, I was just another junkie who had probably gotten high and disappeared on a binge.

Julian's face was dark as he pressed them. "Where is Aubrey Hayes, that wretched woman, hiding now? Did she run out of money for her fix and send you to beg?"

I floated in the air, watching Lily raise a blood-spotted rag doll, timidly saying.

"Mommy said this is a gift for the hero uncle. It has bad people's secrets inside."