:AST OF CHARACTERS<br >:m--A<br >depriv<br >er eyes<br > see?<br >--Is the five-year-old s imaginary<br >~st a figment of her imagination， or<br >，n angel?<br >the littlest angel protect the family<br >m， M.D.--The sexy doctor has quite<br >nanner. But is he open to help from<br >)urces?<br >，rd， nurse--The cheerful， efficient<br >;rybody s helpmate， and her feelings<br >"is on s "rather are more than strictly<br >iI.<br >b/I--The talkative blond Texan is in<br >ossip for her column in the weekly<br >how far will she go to get a scoop?<br >/--Janet s lanky， likable husband is<br >different cloth than his gossipy wife.<br > S--Why is it that the ~udgy，<br > etective is so curiously unwilling<br >ite the attacks on Shanna?<br >cer--Shanna s aunt Emma relied on<br >Chapter One<br > Midnight darkness seeped into the mountain valley，<br > and the furtive figure skirting the old Victorian house<br > was scarcely more than a flickering shadow in the<br > moonless night. Tall lodgepole pines stood like giant<br > sentinels on the rocky hillside， their thick-needled<br > branches moving slightly in a hushed stillness.<br > A small porch lamp sent a radius of light down the<br >， front steps of the house， vaguely illuminating the far<br > corners of the front porch but too feeble to reach the<br > side of the house， where a late-model Ford was<br > parked.<br > A crunch of hurried footsteps on the gravel broke<br > the night s stillness. A pair of gloved hands reached<br > out and slowly and silently lifted the hood of the car.<br > Muffled sounds of labored breathing and scraping<br > metal were carried away on the soft night breeze. A<br > moment later， retreating footsteps and a satisfied sigh<br > left a hushed silence on the hillside.<br > There， it was done. And no one the wiser.<br ><br >