E V Stephens

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Detectives Valerie Benchik and Greg Payton team up on a new case when the first killer Val arrested turns up dead in a Dumpster only weeks after being released from prison on a technicality. Val supported the relatives of Curtis Shelton's victims throughout his trial, and she's reluctant to dredge up their painful memories even when evidence suggests one of them may have taken revenge. Her behavior forces Payton and others to question her commitment to the case, so the last thing Val needs is a distraction, but she ends up with three. First, her estranged sister, Kelly, returns to Bedford and shares a shocking secret that threatens their relationship and Kelly's sobriety. Next, Val gets blindsided by the news that the man who murdered her childhood friend, Annie Fiorello, is being released from prison after a witness recanted his testimony. And then, before she can find solid ground, a rift develops between Val and her BFF Connie Warren after Connie becomes the victim of a crime. One fateful night, while feeling as though she failed to protect everyone she loves, Val recklessly confronts Annie's killer, and when he's found dead, she becomes the prime suspect in her own investigation.