Halfway to forever by Karen Kingsbury

in the country would consider it a kidnapping." She paused. "The alternative is to get a restraining order
on her as soon as you know she's out of prison, but even then you'd have to give cause."
The conversation had played in Patsy mind a dozen times since then. Especially after she received the
second letter. Three days after opening the first, Patsy found a letter in her postbox addressed to Mrs.
Landers. The handwriting was unfamiliar.
Patsy set down Leslie's letter and picked up the other one. The message was brief and to the point.
311 K I N G S R U R Y
Dear Mrs. Landers,
My cell is next to your daughter's. I heard her talking
the other day about making money with her little girl.
Grace, I think it was. She was talking about some pretty
bad stuff and it made me remember my little girl. Bad
stuff happened to her, too. But I ain't never tried to make
money off her. I hope you understand what I'm telling
you. I don't want any more little girls hurt that way I got
your address from Leslie's notebook when she was on
duty.
Candi
Patsy tried every way she could to read something other than the obvious into Candi's note. It wasn't
possible. Leslie wanted to make money with Grace? In a way that someone sitting in prison thought was
"pretty bad stuff'?
Horror filled Patsy as the possibilities slammed against her
mind. Leslie had done some awful things in her life, made some
terrible choices. . .but making money off Grace? The idea and all it
entailed was more than Patsy could bear.
Again she called Grace's social worker, Edna Parsons, and read
her the note over the phone.
"Sounds like Leslie's made some dangerous connections in
prison." Mrs. Parsons's tone was troubled. "Save the note. It might
help you get a restraining order."
"But ...do you think she's talking about..." Patsy couldn't
bring herself to finish the sentence.
"Pornography or prostitution." The words were hand
grenades in Patsy's heart. "I'd say it was one or the other. There's
an entire network of children Grace's age trapped in that underworld.
Police are constantly working to arrest the adults behind it,
but it happens. I won't lie to you."
302
"And you really think Leslie could... could do that?"
The social worker sounded tired. maybe Landers, 's time you haven't told
you this information before, bu now
The scene at that deserted field, when police found Leslie and Grace, was a grim one."
The things Edna Parsons told Patsy then left her weak and in tears. Her stomach hurt, and sr her mother for
weeks fter going to one thing. "But she asked fo
live with the Bronzans."
"That's normal. At that point she could transfer all blame for her situation on to the bad guys her mother
spent time with. After rs.