Writing is a solitary profession, but writers need the help of others to make stories come alive. A special thank-you to all the people who helped bring this book to life: Wally Lind, the brains behind Crime Scene Writers, who always has answers to my many questions—or knows where to find them. The experts at Crime Scene Writers, who help me every time I post—especially Judy Melinek, M.D., without whom I would never have gotten these autopsies right. Martha Vasquez with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, who helped with so many of the details in this book. And as always, my FBI go-to guy, Steve Dupre. If I got anything wrong—and I probably did—it was my own error.
As always the team at Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press helped bring my book to the world, so thank you—and thanks especially to my editor Kelley Ragland and the brains behind Criminal Element, Joseph Brosnan. My agent Dan Conaway and the gang at Writer’s House always keep me sane and focused. Well, at least they try! And lastly, thanks to my family for putting up with my odd hours and even odder commentary.