Steve Lipkin

Beneath The River Bridge Steve Lipkin

"In dreams begins responsibility." W. B. Yeats, "Responsibilities"What do you do if the memories that bleed through your dreams might not be your own?When a devastating episode in the past threatens to destroy the present lives of those closest to her, Sam Williams is the only person who can see what happened then, and what must happen now to free those she loves from the damages the old terrors continue to inflict. Several months earlier, just as their school year ended, Sam's friend and classmate, Karen Spencer, mysteriously disappeared. While the search began to find Karen, Sam and her mother, Ellen, began a search of their own in northern California to uncover the fate of Ted and Ann Williams, Ellen's parents. Now, as this third installment in the Sam Williams series begins, Sam and Ellen expect to testify in the upcoming murder trial of Carol Sundberg. Various pressures, however, have exhausted Sonoma County's prison resources. With the need to curb exposure to the greater risks she faces in the prison system, accused murderer Carol Sundberg successfully petitions the court to transfer from the hospital ward of the county prison into a restricted, "confined to home" arrangement. Carol, awaiting trial for the murder of Ted and Ann Williams, breaks loose, and kills her way to Glen River to wreak revenge upon Sam and Ellen for uncovering the roles that Carol and her husband, Bob, played in the decades-old murder. While Carol's killing spree draws her closer and closer to her ultimate confrontation with Sam and Ellen, Ellen prepares to leave on her honeymoon. Messages arrive that Karen Spencer may still be alive. In the days remaining before the beginning of tenth grade, and while Ellen is gone, Sam goes to stay with her Uncle Mitch and his fiancée, Suzanne. Sam has agreed to help Suzanne finish clearing out the garage and basement of her house to make it easier for Uncle Mitch to move in. With the help of Sam's unique gifts, Suzanne discovers that the recurring nightmares and the voice she hears as she tries to sleep provide keys to unlock the traumatic events of her early childhood.