In an unsettling encounter on the streets of Las Piernas, newspaper reporter Irene Kelly fails to recognize the homeless man who without a trace of irony declares, "I'm not who I used to be."Only later does Irene Kelly realize that the man in the street had been her much revered instructor back in collegeLucas Monroe, a gifted young academic who, by all predictions, would enjoy the brightest of futures. Those predictions were wrong.Irene has not heard Lucas Monroe's name in a dozen years, but suddenly there is no escaping it. First, she is informed that Lucas needs her help, but before she is given the opportunity to respond he goes missing. Now his name is coming up in association with charges of blackmail and possible homicide. It also appears that, shortly before his disappearance, Lucas had become a very busy man, contacting a number of the leading citizens of Las Piernas - including the town's most prominent banker, a developer, a womanizing professor, and a glad-handing university administrator. And now they're all running scared.What could Lucas Monroe have possibly done to frighten the elite of Las Piernas? And what has happened to so change the man she once greatly respected? Read Less