On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens became the site of two hideous events. One, unavoidable—the eruption of a long dormant volcano. The other, the horrific murder of one of Cassell Springs, Washington’s most beloved citizens. It’s 1979. Cassell Springs, Washington, is a typical small town where people love one another, respect one another and look out for one another. It’s where they leave their doors unlocked and invite neighbors for barbecues. Chief Baker and his son Barney were part of that life for as long as many in the town could remember. Everyone loved them, told them their problems, trusted them with their children. So who stabbed Baker and then ran him over, dragging his body along one hundred feet of Route 504? Surely not his son Barney, who was too under-weight to be accepted to the police academy. But Barney is the State Police’s only suspect and they are determined to put him away for the murder. Interim Chief Ian Merryweather doesn’t agree. He is sure Chief Baker’s real murderer is still living and working among them and he’s read the statistics that tell him killers often kill again. Armed only with a few clues and his gut instinct telling him Barney is not his father’s killer, Ian sets out to find the real murderer and restore peace and safety to his beloved small town. During Ian’s search for the truth, Mount St. Helens begins spewing noxious fumes, ash, and boiling mud across Cassell Springs. In a race against time, Ian must protect the people of his town from the forces of nature as well as a stalking killer who preys on them at their weakest moment. |