ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My debts of gratitude run varied and deep, and any listing will invariably leave some out, but here goes:

Thanks to Albert LaFarge, the best agent since the earth cooled, for endless guidance and the occasional free breakfast. Thanks also goes to many at Skyhorse Publishing including Tony Lyons, Brando Skyhorse, Lilly Golden, Alaina Sudeith, Erik Kennedy, and the entire team.

So many people related to the case, named and unnamed, quoted and anonymous, offered invaluable help by opening doors—both literal and figurative—to this painful and highly contentious case. Historical societies in both Olathe and Chili deserve special thanks, as do organizations from the Olathe Police Department, the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Kansas, MidAmerica Nazarene University, the College Church of the Nazarene, and too many individuals to name though Joy Hempy, who bakes the best chocolate chip cookies in Kansas, must be noted. Endless credit also goes to fellow firefighters at Engine 46 for providing a good place to write and more. Readers: check the batteries on your smoke alarms tonight.