The Shadow Box

She’d left the bag containing her black pants, white button-down shirt, and loafers at home—she could picture it on the stone wall just outside the kitchen door, where she had placed it while she’d run back inside to make sure she’d turned off the coffee. She had—of course. But she’d forgotten the bag.

I had already been divorced once—I didn’t want to fail in another marriage.

But abuse, though it can seem to happen all at once, is cumulative. I was like a lobster in a pot of cold water, the temperature being raised bit by bit before I realized I was in danger. Every apology I made to Griffin chipped away at my soul, brought me closer to being boiled alive, because I gave up a little more of myself. And a little more. And a little more.

Abusers are weak. They trap women who have gigantic hearts, who want to help these poor, sad wounded birds.

Protection came in many forms. My love of nature and my father, and their love for me, had made me strong and brave, and I had survived.

I stared into the lion’s eyes and knew that he could take me down so easily. He’d swipe me with his curved claws, clamp his fangs around my throat or my skull, kill me in an instant.

When I get to heaven and it’s full of angels, I won’t meet anyone better than you.

of teeth and fingernails. Investigating Claire’s disappearance, police had contacted every heavy equipment rental company in a twenty-five-mile radius around Black Hall. Only two wood chippers had been rented for a period that included

Justice was its own art, shining light into the shadows, complex yet ultimately as simple as can be: bringing balance, making things right.

to this day, there are ravens at the Tower of London. They’re fed by the Ravenmaster of the Yeoman Warders.

Corvus Corax is Latin for raven,” she said. “I asked her what the significance was. She said that the raven is one of the smartest birds, entirely black to blend into the night. There’s a legend, dating back to medieval times, that England could never be conquered as long as there were ravens at the Tower of London.

knew I had a choice—I could fight him on his statement, stand up for myself and say it was hard to be understanding of someone who flew off the handle so easily.

and that laugh was my signal that it was all about to change.

There is power in dangerous love. You can be so focused on the forbidden nature of it, justifying your choices to the world—me falling in love with Griffin while still legally married to Nate, Griffin giving me all his attention instead of trying to find a workable custody agreement with Margot, instead of doting on his devastated sons—that you miss the fact you’re completely wrong for each other.

Conor. “Yeah?” “This is my case,” she said. “And you’ve got a missing woman to find, so I’m wondering why you’re hanging around the boatyard with me.” “I miss you, Jen,” he said. “I never see you

a man I loved and cared about but wasn’t in love with.

Fear is the gift. It’s how I will stay alert and alive.