Book excerpt: A teen trapped in a cage finds salvation in the darkest corner of an abandoned hospital. A thief with a bag full of stolen money hides under the cover of a serial killer’s rampage. A mother blinded by fame pushes her child into the shadow of modeling. A hit man takes one last job based on morals. These are some of the tales you’ll find within this collection of short stories from mystery and crime writer M.E. Purfield, best known as the creator of the highly rated and long running ‘Miki Radicci’ series, who continues his talent for quirky, unconventional characters struggling through realistic, tense, and desperate situations.