The man's grip was even stronger than her Father's, the single hand both choking and lifting her. Her lungs were burning for air, and her feet no longer touched the ground. Blood pounded in her ears, and her heart beat as if it would burst from her chest. When she sensed the man carrying her toward the cluster of evergreens she tried to fight, but her feet, dangling in the air, gave no force to the kicks. A cascade of snow, dislodged from a pine branch, fell down the back of her jacket as the man pulled her into the trees. In a few moments the blowing and drifting snow had hidden the tracks on the sidewalk.

Kathleen Swanson, forever fourteen, became The Butcher's first victim.

Once again a serial killer stalks Millerton's streets. Matthew Goeser must find the killer quickly, but there are no clues, no motive, and no pattern. And Matt is scheduled to be the next victim.