Five-year-old Teddy Hanson runs to his parents' bedroom because of a nightmare, only to find a real-life nightmare: his mother and father are missing. He runs next door to his Aunt Melanie, who calls the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.At the DeBary, Florida home of Mayor Zachary Hanson and his wife, Detective Carmella Callenda senses that the scene doesn't yet add up to abduction. The sparkle of a barely noticeable substance catches her eye. She rebukes the technician and sends him packing. Carmella feels guided by intuition she calls "Angelo, my guardian angel," to avoid the possible contamination or loss of the glittery material. She ignores normal evidence procedures and takes the material to Will Mears, her trusted friend and recently-retired top forensic expert.Unbeknownst to Carmella, Will is working on an environmental issue that brought federal agent Michael Paradiso to Volusia County. Assisting the Sheriff's Department with their confidential investigation, Michael is working undercover at DeBary Chemicals as Tony DeCarlo. Carmella's life hasn't been an easy one. A survivor of childhood abuse, she is determined to right wrongs, give a voice to the voiceless, and help turn lives around. Several years ago, overwhelmed by the ambush killing of her fiancé, a fellow Pittsburgh police officer, she moved to this small Florida town where she sees her efforts bear fruit.Michael's path has been quite different from Carmella's, but just as challenging. Not until the end of the case do they see how intertwined their lives are.In addition to the missing Mayor and his wife the characters in this story share the undercurrent of something missing in their lives. Other than Carmella and Michael, the plot connects many of the characters, including Will's friend Jane, and his errant son, Casey, in ways that eventually help them release their issues and have the confidence to forge ahead with positive changes in their lives.The mysterious substance? Follow along with the characters as divergent paths merge and lead to that missing link.
