by Neal Griffin
There was no undoing all the twists and turns that had brought any of them to this time and place, but Tia was certain of one thing.
This is where I belong.
Connor reached down and touched her cheek. “I don’t want you to leave, Tia. We can have a life together. You and me.”
“My dad said I should come home, Connor.” She stood, reached up, and took him by the back of the neck, pulling his head down so she could whisper in his ear.
“I told him, I am home.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In my twenty-seventh year of police work, it’s bittersweet to realize I’m much closer to the end of my watch than the beginning. With that in mind, I’d like to recognize the thousands of men and women I’ve had the honor to work with during my law enforcement career. Men who had much in common with Ben Sawyer; and women not unlike Tia Suarez. Cops who possess those attributes that can’t be handed out by a department supply clerk or standardized in an academy exam: heart and desire to do the job the right way. Hopefully America realizes these cops are the overwhelming majority of the men and women who protect and serve the towns and cities of this country. It has been my honor to serve alongside them all these years.
As a writer, I’m just getting started and I want to acknowledge those who continue to help me along. Thanks to my friends at the Wednesday night San Diego Writers, Ink group led by Tammy Greenwood. Your feedback every week kept me on track and your fingerprints are all over this book. Thanks for the tough love.
Thanks to my agent, Jill Marr, and everyone at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. We’ve come a long way together and we’re still going strong.
My editor, Melissa Ann Singer, has once again stood by me all the way from first draft to the book you now hold in your hands. Thank you, Melissa, and the incredible team at Forge Books: Tom, Linda, Patty, Emily, Christopher, and everyone else. No writer could ask for a more supportive and capable group of professionals than the one assembled around me.
A special thanks to Seth Lerner, who once again created a book cover that demands to be opened.
And to my family. We’ve managed to spread ourselves all across the country but somehow we grow closer every year. Your love and support mean the world to me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NEAL GRIFFIN is a twenty-five-year veteran of law enforcement who grew up in the kind of town he writes about. He often speaks about law enforcement issues and police ethics to civilians and fellow cops. Griffin has participated in special training at FBI headquarters. Currently serving in a department in Southern California, Griffin is married and has four children. His first novel, Benefit of the Doubt, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller. You can sign up for email updates here.
ALSO BY NEAL GRIFFIN
Benefit of the Doubt
A Voice from the Field
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Act I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Act II
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Act III
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Neal Griffin
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A VOICE FROM THE FIELD
Copyright © 2016 by Neal Griffin
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Michael Graziolo
Cover art © 2015 Shutterstock
A Forge Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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New York, NY 10010
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Forge® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Griffin, Neal C., author.
Title: A voice from the field / Neal Griffin.
Description: First Edition. | New York: Forge Books, 2016. | “A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
Identifiers: LCCN 2015033359 | ISBN 9780765338518 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781466839038 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Human trafficking—Fiction. | Missing persons—Investigation—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Thrillers. | GSAFD: Mystery fiction. | Suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3607.R54845 V65 2016 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015033359
e-ISBN 9781466839038
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First Edition: February 2016