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Mimi had a wide array of friends in the swamp, many of them men who were great with her son. The man who had betrayed her so badly would certainly not be invited back into her life now for any reason. She didn’t know if he’d even want to see her or talk to her, but she was certain she didn’t want anything to do with him.

However, she couldn’t forget the hot desire that had once existed between them. She didn’t know what it would be like to make love with another man, but lovemaking with Johnny had always been beyond wonderful.

She snapped these steamy thoughts right out of her head. She didn’t want to remember that or the tremendous love she’d once had for him. What she needed to focus on was how he’d held her tenderly one night in his arms, professed his deep, abiding love for her, and then the next day he’d been gone, leaving her utterly heartbroken, utterly destroyed.

It was four o’clock when she got off work. As usual, her feet and lower back ached after working the eight-hour shift. She was more than eager to get home, hug and kiss her son and find out what Gramps had cooked for dinner.

As she walked to her car in the parking lot, she pulled out the elastic band holding her thick, long hair tightly at the nape of her neck. Released, the long strands danced in the soft breeze and alleviated the faint headache that had been with her all day. She didn’t know if the band holding her hair had been too tight or if it was thoughts of Johnny that had made her head hurt.

She needed to stop thinking about him. He didn’t deserve to occupy any space at all in her brain.

It didn’t take long for her to get from the main part of town to the swamp entrance. The swampland half surrounded the small town of Black Bog and housed a large community of wonderful people for the most part.

She parked her car, pulled a sharp knife from her purse and then walked into the marsh. She held the knife tightly in her hand, ready to use it if necessary to defend herself.

Large tupelo and bald cypress trees hugged the narrow path she walked, some of them dripping with delicate lacy Spanish moss. The brush on either side of the path shook as small animals went on their way. The deeper she went into the swamp, the darker and cooler it became as the sun couldn’t quite penetrate the thick foliage overhead.

It smelled of greenery shot through with mysterious flowers and the ever-present odor of decay. However, these days it also smelled of imminent danger.

With this thought in mind, she picked up her pace, and finally her shanty came into sight. It was a fairly large, three-bedroom structure on stilts over a large body of water. This was where she had grown up, where Gramps and Granny had raised her.

Unfortunately, they had lost Granny to breast cancer ten years ago. Mimi’s only regret was that Granny hadn’t been alive to meet her grandson. Granny would have positively adored Danny.

She dropped the knife back into her purse and raced up the bridge to the front door.

“Mommy!” Danny squealed with happiness as she entered the front door. He ran to her awaiting arms.

She knelt down and hugged him tight. “Hi, my little sweet pea. Were you a good boy for Gramps today?” She released her hold on him.

He nodded. “I was a good boy.”

“He’s always a good boy for me,” Gramps said as he stepped out of the kitchen area. “Right, buddy?”

“Right!” Danny’s blue eyes sparkled brightly.

Love for her son buoyed up inside her. He was her very heart and soul.

“How was work?” Gramps asked.

She rose to her feet and moved over to sit on the black sofa with cheerful yellow throw pillows. “Long and busy. There are some good sales running right now at the store, so more people were in there than usual.”

“Well, sit and relax. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes or so,” Gramps said and then disappeared back in the kitchen.

“Come here, son and tell me all the fun things you did today,” she said to Danny.

He sat next to her on the sofa, and for the next few minutes, he told her about his day. He told her about playing with his little car collection and reading a book about the swamp with Gramps. He spoke of tickles and laughter, and more than anything she wished she could be home with him all the time. But unfortunately, as a single parent, she had to work and wanted to contribute to the household fund.

Fifteen minutes later, they were all seated at the table.

Jacob Boudreaux, aka Gramps, was Mimi’s father’s father. At seventy-two years old, he suffered with arthritis in his back and shoulders but insisted that taking care of Danny while she worked kept him young. He was a handsome man with strong, bold features and thick salt-and-pepper hair. He was well-liked in the swamp community and had plenty of friends. He was and had always been Mimi’s rock.

As they ate, they small-talked for a bit. Gramps kept her up to date with what was going on in the swamp, and she shared with him the people who had come through her line that day.

“Any news on the murders?” Gramps asked, his voice low as he quickly turned the pleasant conversation to something much darker. She looked at her son, who appeared not to be paying attention to the adult conversation.

After two bodies had been found, everyone believed there was a serial killer at work in Black Bog. The first victim had been a successful businessman who lived in town; the second victim had been a young woman from the swamp. Both had been hung by their feet in trees in the marshland and their throats had been sliced open, leaving their life blood to drain out of their body. It was absolutely horrifying.

“No, there doesn’t seem to be any news,” she replied as chills threatened to walk up her spine. Because the victims were so very different, it felt as if everyone was at risk. “I didn’t hear anything about them today.”