An e-original short story from New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance, featuring a sneak peek of the next J. P. Beaumont novel, Den of IniquityâTwinkle Winkleman finds herself in a dangerous, life-threatening situation, and love forces her to confront the near-impossible.
A skilled mechanic and certified spitfire, Twinkle Winkleman is as hard as nails; she has to be with a name like hers. Twinkle learned everything there is to know about cars from her time in her daddyâs garage in Anchorage, and when her father dies, she gains ownership of the shop and Maude, her dadâs prized 1973 International Harvester Travelall.
Life has not been kind to Twinkle: she grew up without her mother, her daddyâs gone, her ex-husband betrayed her, and her son Tad was killed after a trip to Seattle to handle some âunfinished business.â Right now, the only things Twinkle truly cares for are her garage, Maude, and Cindyâher daughter-in-law and Tadâs widow.
One evening, Cindy and her friend, Leslie, have a girlsâ night out at the local karaoke bar. Even though neither Twinkle nor Cindy are fans of Leslieâs boyfriend, James, Twinkle is happy to see her daughter-in-law enjoying her freedom and a night on the town. That is until she wakes up in the middle of the night and discovers Cindy hasnât come home. Even more concerning, she isnât picking up her phone.
What follows is a mother-in-lawâs desperate and bold attempt to find her daughter-in-lawâeven if it means leading the dangerous search on her own, with a little help from J. P. Beaumont. As an Alaskan Winter rears its head, Twinkle is up against the clock: will she be able to save the person that means the most to her?