Dead Woman Crossing

by J.R. Adler

Genres: Police Procedurals; Thrillers; Crime Fiction; Suspense

Synopsis

‘Brilliant – oh my word you can book after book after book but every so often a gem will emerge and this is one of them…. Totally blown away with how good the storyline is… and that conclusion, never saw it coming!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

She threw open the door, running to the crib. When she looked inside, she gasped. The world around her went silent. Inside, there was nothing but a small stuffed elephant. Where was her baby? When young, single mother Hannah is found murdered by the banks of a twisting Oklahoma creek, her one-year-old daughter sleeping in a stroller near her body, the small town of Dead Woman Crossing reels in horror. Detective Kimberley King, recently relocated from New York to Oklahoma, with her young daughter Jessica, can’t ignore the similarity of Hannah’s death to the case of Katie James, the woman that the town of Dead Woman Crossing is named after. Katie was murdered in front of her small daughter in 1905, on the banks of the same creek, and it seems that someone is drawing inspiration from the crime. Could this killer be a copycat? But as she interviews suspects, Kimberley is met with blank faces and closed lips. In a small town, people won’t talk and when she pursues a promising lead, her own family turn their back on her. Kimberley isn’t afraid to ask questions, but when she receives a threatening note, she realises that, as a single mother to a young daughter, she might be putting herself dangerously in the killer’s sights … A gripping, atmospheric crime thriller inspired by true events, about a town on the edge of collapse and a murder that shakes the community. Dead Woman Crossing is perfect for fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Jane Harper. Readers are loving Dead Woman Crossing: ‘ This book is simply excellent through and through. The lead character of Kimberley King is destined to become one of the great characters in the genre… the dialogue is punchy and begs you to just go for one more chapter, and the atmosphere is phenomenal. I truly felt like I was in the town where it was all taking place, the wind brushing my face as I hear the wheat stalks sway. J.R. Adler is a dynamite talent and the first book in this series was a grad slam so I am beyond excited to see where this series goes. If you like thrillers then... scratch that... if you like reading then you owe it to yourself to pick this up. It is one hell of an amazing ride ’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was captivated from the beginning… I could hardly put the book down … Loved it. 5 stars.’ B is for Book Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Really enjoyed this book, can’t wait for the next one in the series. It was unputdownable I read it in one sitting. It was tense and full of action that kept me entertained and engaged in the story. I had my suspicions but I was wrong, love that when you don’t expect the bad guy or the ending. Very good book and I highly recommend!’ Bonnie’s Book Talk ‘ Very gripping… how this story comes together is just brilliant and Kimberley is so sassy can’t wait for book 2 once you start you won’t want to stop ’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘ The end is completely unexpected, and I can't wait to read the next book. ’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book will grab you from its first pages! King is a lead character that women can relate to... It's a great book and looking forward to seeing more of King and Walker in this series!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was drawn in from the very first page and was totally engrossed until the very surprising ending! I cannot wait for the next one to come out!’ Goodreads Reviewer

Release date: September 23, 2020

Publisher: Bookouture

Print pages: 347

Sample

As the tires slammed onto the hot asphalt, Detective Kimberley King instinctively positioned her arm in front of her sixteen-month-old daughter, bracing her. Her sleeping child did not wake. Having been born and raised, thus far, in New York City with its constant squealing sirens and blaring car horns, it would take more than a rough plane landing to wake her resting cherub.

A few of the passengers toward the back of the plane clapped when the tires were firmly planted on the runway. Kimberley couldn’t help rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Simpletons, she thought, but she quickly had to remind herself… simple was her life now. These were no longer the plain inhabitants of the flyover states, but rather they were now her neighbors, her new people. She would no longer be Detective Kimberley King, NYPD, but something quite different. In New York, she worked homicide, the worst of the worst cases, the things nightmares were made of, but where she was going, murders would be few and far between she presumed given the size of the town. As soon as she stepped foot off the plane, it would be official; she would now be the newest chief deputy of Custer County, residing in Dead Woman Crossing—a town named for its grizzly history of an unsolved brutal homicide. Perhaps Kimberley would feel more at home there than she thought she would. She believed she’d always be a New Yorker at heart and would cling to that as long as she could, but that wasn’t her identity anymore. She was now an Oklahoman.

“Please be careful when opening the overhead bins as items may have shifted during flight. We hope you enjoyed your flight, and we thank you for flying American Airlines,” the flight attendant announced via the intercom. Immediately, most passengers rose from their seats as if the stewardess had given a powerful sermon rather than simple disembarkation instructions.

Kimberley turned toward her daughter and unbuckled her. Jessica stirred awake, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Her face began to crumple as she adjusted to the unfamiliar surroundings, but Kimberley acted quickly. She knew that look, the look that signaled Jessica was about to throw a tantrum. Her daughter had seemed to learn in recent weeks that crying could be used as psychological warfare against her mother. Kimberley planted several kisses on the top of her soft head and pulled Jessica into her lap with a hug, quickly soothing her, before she erupted like a volcano full of tears. She had woken her daughter earlier than usual and opted not to put her down for a nap, all to ensure the plane ride had gone smoothly and it had.

“Jessica, baby, we’re here,” Kimberley said, bouncing her little girl.

Looking at her daughter was like looking in the mirror; she was the spitting image of Kimberley. Rich dark brown hair, vivid blue eyes, and pouty lips. Kimberley was thankful her daughter had taken after her and not her ex, Aaron, who looked like the poster boy for the Aryan race; blond hair, light eyes, fair skin. He was no longer in the picture. If she was being honest, he was never really in the picture, so she was happy Jessica didn’t serve as a constant reminder of him. She hoped she’d get her strong personality as well, instead of her father’s, who was more concerned about working out in the gym than taking care of his own child. When she told him she was moving out of state and that he could see Jessica as much as he wanted but would have to travel, he had responded with a shrug as if she had asked him something as simple as do you want bacon or sausage with your eggs?

Motherhood had changed her, but fatherhood hadn’t changed Aaron. When she first had Jessica, Kimberley developed almost a sixth sense. It provided more than any police training had ever done for her. The instinct, many called maternal, translated well into her detective work. It made her notice everything, sense danger. Every situation, she could look at it and find a hundred different ways something could go wrong. Jessica changed Kimberley for the better. But with Aaron, fatherhood shone a light on his true colors: selfish, childish, and narcissistic. Kimberley quickly brushed the memory from her mind before it affected her mood, the roots of her life left behind trying one last time to pull her back into despair.

She tied her long hair into a ponytail, readying herself to trek off the plane with half of everything she owned. Kimberley stood from her seat and lifted Jessica, her little legs wrapping around Kimberley’s petite, yet strong body. She was used to handling everything by herself, so grabbing her luggage from the overhead bin, Jessica’s diaper bag, and her tote bag all the while holding her daughter looked like a magic act to the untrained eye, but to her it was easy. Jessica tightened her arms around her mother’s neck and laid her head against her shoulder, letting out a soft coo. Kimberley smiled and kissed the top of her head while edging her way into the aisle.

A middle-aged man with a bald spot the size of a grapefruit on the back of his head stood in front of her. He turned around and gave Kimberley and her juggling act a once-over. “Do you need help with any of that?” he asked, pointing to her bags.

Kimberley’s eyes widened and her brow creased. She wasn’t used to others offering their help, especially coming from Manhattan. In New York City, people are just too busy to stop and help. They’ve got places to be, traffic to get through, subway rides to make, lines to stand in. Everything there is go, go, go. They’re not mean. They just don’t have the time to be nice.

“Oh, no. I’ve got it,” she said, because she also wasn’t used to accepting help either. Kimberley was the type of person that handled everything herself. It was why she didn’t really have anyone to say her goodbyes to when she left New York. She lived by the cynical idea that the fewer people that were in your life, the less you had to lose.

She remembered where she was though and figured she’d have to change that mindset sooner or later as this gentleman likely meant well.

“Actually, yes. Please,” she said, her own words sounding like a foreign tongue as they left her mouth.

The man smiled and grabbed the small wheeled bag from her. “You from around here?”

“No, but I will be soon, I guess.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“I was born and raised here, but I didn’t realize folks willingly moved to this part of the world,” he said with a chuckle.

“They don’t,” Kimberley snorted, but quickly stopped, and looked up to read the man’s face, unsure whether she had offended him.

The man let out a belly laugh. “Quick wit,” he said. “Well, welcome. You’ll like it here just fine after a time. Oklahoma is like the heels of a loaf of bread. It’s not anyone’s first choice, nor is it as enjoyable or as soft as the rest of the loaf, but it does the job it was meant to do, protects the rest of it from going stale, and hell… it’s still bread.”

Kimberley nodded. “I like that. By the way, I’m Kimberley, and this is Jessica.” She motioned to her daughter with a tilt of her head.

“Nice to meet you both. I’m Frank.” Shuffling bodies in front of him got his attention and he turned his head. “Line’s moving,” he called over his shoulder as he lumbered forward.

Outside the plane, Frank handed over the luggage to Kimberley on the jet bridge, while she grabbed her stroller that the flight crew had already set aside. She placed Jessica in the seat and stuffed her purse and the diaper bag underneath.

“Well, you enjoy yourself, ma’am, and perhaps I’ll see you around,” Frank said with a smile and a wave of his hand.

“Thanks for your help.” Kimberley gave him a nod as he took a couple of steps back and turned around, walking away into the bowels of the terminal.

She bent down to make sure Jessica was secure and that she had everything she had brought with her on the plane. Grabbing her luggage and pulling it behind her with one hand, she pushed the stroller with the other down the jet bridge. This was it… a new start for her and her daughter.

Out in the baggage claim area, Kimberley spotted David, leaning one of his broad shoulders against a concrete pillar near the baggage carousel. She had never met him in person, but had seen and talked to him many times on FaceTime calls with her mom, Nicole, and he had seemed nice enough. Nicole and David had married at the courthouse a few years ago, just the two of them, so he was technically her stepfather and Jessica’s grandfather. Despite being sixty, he was large and barrel-chested, the result of a lifetime of wheat farming. His skin was weathered and clean-shaven, and his hair was a mix of salt and pepper. His eyes were dark, a complete contrast to the soft facial features that gave him a kind-looking face.

David stood up straight and smiled wide when he spotted Kimberley. He made his way to her. His footsteps were heavy, and his great stature towered over hers when he gave her a half hug with a pat on the back. She didn’t know him well, but hoped she’d get to know him better as he was the man her mother loved. Kimberley was grateful for him for providing her mother with a life her father had never done and for graciously opening his home to Jessica and herself.

“Where’s Mom?” Kimberley asked, scanning the surrounding area of passengers hurrying to their baggage carousels. Each unfamiliar face she laid eyes on in the crowd of moving people caused her more and more disappointment.

“Nicole had one of her migraines. So, she’s at home resting, and by resting I mean prepping dinner, as we both know she is incapable of slowing down.” David arched an eyebrow.

“Oh… yeah, that’s Mom for ya.” Kimberley tried to hide her disappointment with a small smile.

She hadn’t seen her mother since Jessica was born as Nicole had only come to the city once in all the time Kimberley had lived there. Kimberley didn’t fault her for that, because she knew her mother didn’t have the money to be traveling back and forth. And she couldn’t be mad at her mother for that either, because Kimberley had never traveled to Oklahoma to visit. She had always been too busy with work.

“How was the flight?” he asked, his eyes never fully making contact with Kimberley’s, always half looking, half scanning his surroundings. A carryover trait from his military days as an artillery officer in the Oklahoma Guard doing security and stability operations in Iraq.

She looked down at her daughter to check on her again. Her blue eyes were wide open, staring up at David, almost as though she was mesmerized by the giant.

David leaned down, putting out his pointer finger. Jessica wrapped her tiny hand around it, her fingers too short to reach her palm. She giggled and smiled widely.

“Hi, sweetie,” David said. “I’m your Grandpa Turner. But you can call me Papa,” David said, smiling back at Jessica.

Jessica opened her mouth wide almost as though she was going to say “Papa” but instead gave the biggest, goofiest grin her sweet little face could conjure up.

“She’s adorable,” David said, his face mimicking hers to get her to laugh and smile more.

The two of them had never met before, and Kimberley was unsure as to how warm his welcoming would be to Jessica as he had grandchildren of his own. But this interaction was a pleasant surprise and made her more confident in her decision to move to Oklahoma.

David gently pulled his finger out of Jessica’s grasp. He straightened up slowly into a standing position. “She’s my first granddaughter,” he said proudly.

Kimberley gave a small smile. “She is, isn’t she?”

David nodded. “Your mother mentioned she was a good baby.”

It wasn’t like she’d know firsthand, Kimberley thought to herself. “She is.”

“Expecting any bags?” David looked around again.

A couple of the baggage carousels had started up.

“Just a few. We packed light.” Kimberley had only brought along what she and Jessica needed. Her apartment in the city was small, so they didn’t have much to begin with—and with how demanding her job at the NYPD was, she barely had any street clothes because she was almost always in uniform. Detectives were allowed to wear business casual attire, as opposed to the full blues, but Kimberley liked the immediate authority the uniform signaled. A bitter taste rose in the back of her throat as she thought about her former job and the well-deserved promotion she was passed over for. There was no good reason for her to have not gotten the job, but she was sure it had to do with Jessica. Her career had been soaring up like a helium balloon released from a child’s grasp… until she got pregnant. Then the balloon popped. Her male counterparts treated her differently, like she was fragile, like she’d break at any moment. It was understandable in a way, but Kimberley thought that after she gave birth and returned from maternity leave, things would go back to the way they were before her uterus was occupied. It hadn’t. They viewed motherhood as a weak spot, but for her, it had become her source of strength. She swallowed the resentment hard, following behind David toward her designated baggage carousel.

Kimberley finished buckling the car seat and ensured Jessica was safe and secure. She double-checked everything once more before closing the back door of the Chevy Impala sedan. She knew it was her mother’s car because her mom had told her about it when she purchased the used vehicle a year before. Kimberley sat down in the passenger seat.

“We got that car seat from my daughter, Emily,” David noted. “It’s yours to keep. Her boys are too big for car seats.”

“Thanks. That was nice of her.” Kimberley looked over at David.

She turned back to check on Jessica once more. Jessica’s blue eyes were still wide, bouncing around the vehicle that sat idle in the parking structure. Kimberley thought for sure her daughter would cry now that she was wide awake and taking in unfamiliar surroundings, but she didn’t. The concrete structure surrounding them must have comforted her. It was after all what she was used to in the city.

“Ready?” David asked, turning on the engine.

Kimberley took a small breath and nodded.

“Let’s hit the road. It’s about a seventy-mile drive—should take a little over an hour,” he said confidently, backing the vehicle out of the parking spot.

“Takes me an hour to travel two miles in the city sometimes,” Kimberley noted.

David arched an eyebrow. “Well, you’ll feel like a time traveler in Oklahoma.” He let out a chuckle and Kimberley gave him a courteous smile.

One hour separated Kimberley from Dead Woman Crossing, her new home. She was looking forward to a fresh start and bringing Jessica up close to her mother, surrounded by wheat fields and flowing creeks, what she gathered Oklahoma looked like from the photos she had received from her mom over the years. No more soaring skyscrapers and endless concrete.

“Your mother tells me you and your boyfriend broke up,” David said coolly, as if he were talking about the weather and not the ruination of her love life.

“Yep. We did a while ago.”

“Why’s that?”

“He didn’t want to be a father.”

David shook his head and quickly glanced over at Kimberley with a somber look. “That’s a damn shame.” He returned his focus to the traffic in front of him as they weren’t out of Oklahoma City yet.

Kimberley could tell he wasn’t used to driving on roads with more than a few vehicles as his shoulders were high and tense, his large hands wrapped around the steering wheel at ten and two and he leaned forward a little. He looked rather uncomfortable. A white sedan in front of them slammed on its brakes.

David pounded his fist against the horn. “Damnit!” he yelled.

A blood-curdling wail came from the backseat as Jessica erupted into tears. Kimberley turned around, reaching back, she tried to comfort her.

“I’m sorry,” David said. “I can’t stand these city drivers.”

“It’s okay. She was due for a tantrum anyway.” Kimberley grabbed her stuffed elephant and a pacifier from the diaper bag at Jessica’s feet. She had been weaning her daughter off the pacifier, and it was now only used for emergencies like tantrums in hour-long car drives.

“It’s okay, Jessica,” Kimberley said in her soothing motherly voice as she handed over the little gray elephant and the pacifier. Jessica cried a little more before taking the pacifier with her tiny hand and popping it between her pouty lips. She held Ellie underneath her arm and against her chest. Her eyes were still wet. Her face was still red. Her nose pushed air in and out quickly as she began calming down.

“Good girl,” Kimberley said with a smile as she faced forward in her seat.

Traffic was moving again. She glanced over at David who appeared more comfortable. His raised shoulders had fallen. One hand had released itself from its steering-wheel death grip and was now fiddling with the radio station.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s quite alright. It’s not the first time she’s heard someone raise their voice in front of her,” Kimberley admitted.

David glanced over at Kimberley and then back at the road again.

“Don’t worry. Jessica’s too young to remember anything that happened between you and that ex of yours.”

Before she could say anything, like thank him for saying exactly what she needed to hear, he changed the subject.

“You like country music?”

She didn’t but she said yes anyway.

David turned the radio to an oldie’s country station. A song by Alan Jackson played softly, while David tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the rhythm of the music. He wasn’t a man that could sit still, always fiddling with something.

When the song ended and a loud commercial started up, David turned down the volume slightly.

“I think you and Jessica are going to like living on a farm,” he said.

“Yeah, I think so too. I know Mom loves it.”

With Oklahoma City behind them now, all that lay ahead was a long stretch of highway that seemed like it had no end. Kimberley looked out her window. The wheat fields were a blur of gold. When she thought of the country, she thought of the color green. But not here in Oklahoma. It was gold. Heck, New York City had more greenery than this.

“The farm’s been in our family for generations and generations,” David said with a pleased smile.

“That’s impressive.” She knew that tidbit already, but she let David think it was the first time she had heard it. He was clearly proud of his family farm.

“I’m glad my daughter Emily found a man like Wyatt who was willing and wanting to take over the farm. Most men these days are soft. Buncha whining pussies, if ya ask me.”

“Based on my ex, I’d say you were right,” Kimberley joked.

David gave a wry smile. “I think you and my daughter will get along real well. You’re both about the same age.”

“I hope so,” she said with little conviction in her voice. Kimberley had never been good at making friends. She was a bit of a loner, but she knew she had to change. Keeping everyone at arm’s length wasn’t doing her any good and it wouldn’t do her daughter any good either.

“The Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks came on the radio, and David turned the volume back up. He clearly liked the song as he began to sing along with it, tapping his fingers on the wheel. Kimberley looked back out her passenger window at the big blue skies that were slowly cascading into hues of pink, yellow, and orange, thanks to the sun that was falling behind the horizon. Everywhere around them was wide-open spaces and far-reaching fields that appeared to go on and on forever. For many, they would see this as nothing. But Kimberley saw something. She saw opportunity, a new life, a fresh start. She now knew what the frontiersmen must have felt when they “headed out west.” Hope. This would be her better life.

On top of a slower-paced life, she expected her new job as chief deputy would also be less time-consuming and demanding, allowing her more time to spend with Jessica. Her life in New York had become near impossible, but in Oklahoma, there was possibility. She’d miss the energy that the city radiated, the hustle, the fact that anything she could ever want was available like Chinese food at 3 a.m. However, she had learned that New York City couldn’t give her everything she wanted. It couldn’t give her time with her daughter or a close relationship with her mother. She needed it now more than ever. She tried to make the city work while being a single mother, and she had for sixteen months… barely.

The song ended and once again, David turned down the radio.

“How ya feeling about the new job, Chief Deputy King?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Good. It’ll be different than the city, but I’m looking forward to a change. Sheriff Walker seemed great during my phone interviews.”

“He’s a good man… His views are a bit modern for my taste. Regardless, he does a good job at keeping our town safe.”

“Modern?” Kimberley tilted her head.

“Well, he hired you. We’ve never had a female on the force before.”

Kimberley bit her lower lip, mulling over what to say in response to his outdated beliefs. This wasn’t a point of view she had ever really encountered in the city, but she was sure it was one she’d be seeing a lot more of in the South.

“We have different definitions of modern then,” Kimberley settled on.

David glanced over at Kimberley.

“Oh, I don’t mean anything by it. I just believe in taking care and providing for my family. I think that’s the man’s job. But you… you’ve gotta step up because your boy stepped back.”

He returned his focus back to the road.

“Well, regardless, I think you’re going to like it here. Us Oklahomans are the salt of the earth, not too good for nothin’ like them coastal elites out by y’all,” David said with a smile.

Kimberley forced a smile back as a new song came on the radio.

“I’m just teasing ya.” He turned the volume back up, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel once again.

The sun had fallen completely below the horizon when they pulled into the town, which was marked by a sign that read “Dead Woman Crossing—Unincorporated.” The town was so small it didn’t even have a population. How strange, Kimberley thought.

“Almost home,” David said over the song.

Kimberley’s eyes followed the smattering of various house styles, all very old and collapsing in on themselves, like a row of dying stars, dim and lifeless. The wheatgrass was everywhere: on the edge of the road, in between houses, running off into the distance across the horizon. It looked like a virus, centered here but spreading its tendrils throughout the land, choking everything out that wasn’t exactly like it.

David pointed toward Kimberley’s passenger window. “Over there is our little downtown, I guess you’d call it. Coffee shop, laundromat, pharmacy, and a convenience store. All the basics.”

Without David naming them off, she wouldn’t have known what any of them were as their lights and signs were turned off, just little brick buildings full of glass windows.

Dead Woman Crossing appeared rather deserted save for the lit-up windows of the local bar, The Trophy Room, which was in the center of the town at its only four-way stop. The siding of the building was an unintentional off-white, presumably because it was dirty. Various tacky neon beer signs were hung in the windows. The gravel parking lot was around half full of trucks and motorcycles. She could see people shuffling around inside. Several picnic tables were set up off to the sides of the front door. A few men sat at a table, smoking what she thought were cigarettes but couldn’t be sure, and they clearly noticed her, as their eyes were fixed on her. David rolled down his window and waved at them, but their line of focus was like a laser beam with their target being Kimberley. She might not be from a small town, but Kimberley knew that look. It was suspicion. It said you don’t belong.

“That’s The Trophy Room,” David said proudly. “A nice place for us men to blow off steam.”

“I guess I’ll have to check it out sometime,” Kimberley said with a smirk.

David drove through the four-way crossing, continuing through the town.

Dead Woman Crossing would be quite a change for her. In Manhattan, Kimberley could walk past a thousand people in a day and not one of them would look at her, let alone notice her presence. But here, she already had a sense that everyone was always watching.

Kimberley turned around, checking on Jessica again. She had fallen asleep, the pacifier in her lap, her head craned to the side and her hands crumpled up in tiny little fists. She glanced through the back window at The Trophy Room; the men’s necks were twisted in her direction, their eyes lit up like tiny yellow orbs, still watching her. She turned in her seat, facing forward again.

“Over there is our grocery store. Pearl and Bill own that. It’s small, but they have most of what we need.” David pointed to the small shop on the corner that was also closed.

It seemed Dead Woman Crossing shutdown early, save for The Trophy Room.

“There’s a Walmart in Weatherford, about fifteen minutes from the farm, but we try to support local first and foremost,” he added.

“I was the same way in New York City, local first,” Kimberley said with a nod.

“Good. You’ll fit in just fine around here then.”

David pulled the car into the long gravel driveway of the family farm. She could only see as far as the headlights shined at first until the spacious white weather-boarded house with a wraparound porch came into sight. David put the car into park right in front of the home, and Kimberley couldn’t pull her eyes from the beauty of it all. She definitely wasn’t in New York City anymore, as her entire apartment there could have fit within the porch alone. Excitement for her new life and her temporary home swelled inside of her as she thought about Jessica running back and forth across the large porch, rolling around in the wheatgrass fields, and jumping in the dark with hands splayed trying to catch fireflies. A large gust of wind swayed several of the wooden rockers on the porch, almost like a ghostly greeting for Kimberley and her daughter.

Kimberley climbed out of the passenger door and made her way to the back to grab Jessica, who was still sound asleep. She couldn’t believe how exhausted her little girl was, but she welcomed it; it made for a smooth transition and easy travels. She thought of her little girl waking up in a new house. No more sirens. No more loud neighbors banging and clamoring around at all times of the day. No more crammed subway rides. No more absentee mother and deadbeat father. Here, in Oklahoma, she would have pe. . .