Secret Mercy

Does the tiny woman with wispy white hair and wild imagination know more about her husband's disappearance than she's telling? What secrets are hidden in the old mansion of a house she guards so well?

Talk to Liberty Cassell, and you will hear her extoll all the advantages of living in her hometown of Twin Fawn. Little traffic. Easy parking. Comfortable lifestyle with no pressure to advance in the world. Residents don't mind taking time off work to sit with a cup of coffee while watching a passing rainstorm.

There is a sense of community in a small town. Neighbors look out for one another. They make allowances for even those of advanced age or questionable mental states.

However, in this little town, when Harley Ottenweller failed to show up for dinner one day, most residents failed to notice. Those who did take note seemed grateful not to meet up with him on the street. His wife Willow and son Johnnie went on with life. No questions. No search. No missing person report was filed. She assured everyone she was perfectly content to raise her son on her own.

At this point, Willow is elderly and quite possibly in the throws of dementia. Listen to some of her stories. You'll see they are a bit farfetched, but she's loved and cared for by her neighbors.

There's one more thing about small towns-secrets rarely stay hidden. There is a thunderstorm on Twin Fawn's horizon. It may be more than this small town bargained for.