Stealing Time

Praise for the novels of Leslie Glass

'This series [is] a winner!' —

Mystery News

'Detective Woo is the next generation descended from Ed McBain's 87th precinct.'

—Hartford Courant

'I'll drop what I'm doing to read Leslie Glass anytime.' —Nevada Barr

'Fast-paced, gritty . . . [April Woo] joins Kin-sey Millhone and Kay Scarpetta in the ranks of female crime fighters.' —

Library Journal

More Praise for Leslie Glass

'PSYCHOLOGICALLY RICH . . . builds to an explosive climax as unpredictable and surprising as April Woo herself. A fresh, engrossing read.'

—New York Times

bestselling author Perri O'Shaughnessy

'An intense thriller. . . . Glass provides several surprises, characters motivated by a lively cast of inner demons and, above all, a world where much is not as it initially seems.'

—Publishers Weekly

'Deft plotting and strong characterization will leave readers eager for further installments.'

—Library Journal

'Glass not only draws the reader into the crazed and gruesome world of the killer, but also cleverly develops the character of Woo . . . and her growing attraction for partner Sanchez.'

—Orlando Sentinel

More ...

'Sharp as a scalpel. . . . Scary as hell. Leslie Glass is Lady McBain.'

—New York Times

bestselling author Michael Palmer

'If you're a Thomas Harris fan . . . looking for a new thriller to devour, you'll find it in

Burning Time.' —Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

'A suspenseful story in which those who appear to be sane may actually harbor the darkest secrets of all.' —

Mostly Murder

'The plot is clever . . . and the ending is a genuine surprise. Woo is so appealing a protagonist that Leslie Glass can keep her going for a long time.' —

Newark Star-Ledger

ALSO BY LESLIE GLASS

Judging Time

STEALING

TIME

LESLIE GLASS

©

A SIGNET BOOK

SIGNET

First Signet Printing, February 2000

Copyright © Leslie Glass, 1999 All rights reserved

For my brother, Stephen, and for Hallie, Lacy, Marilee, Sara, and Tessa

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to all the psychologists in my ken, particularly everyone associated with the Glass Institute who contributes so much to the field and to my own life and work. I partake of your books and articles and wisdom daily, borrow your ideas with complete abandon, enjoy your company, and relish your every triumph. To my friends at the Middle States Commission of Higher Education I owe a debt of gratitude for enrichment of many kinds.

As always, special thanks to the thousands of New York City police officers who walk, pedal, ride, fly, swim, and cruise their particular beats, man the special units, supervise the uniforms, train and work the dogs and horses, crunch the numbers, and face the terrors of Comstat Wednesday and Friday mornings—everyone who works so hard to make New York City a safer and more enjoyable place to live and visit. I use bits and pieces of this enormous department, writing entirely as a novelist. I relocate important New York City landmarks and other geography, changing the names of streets and restaurants and even police policy and procedure at will. The errors I make may be intentional, or unintentional, or both, but they are entirely my own. Any resemblances to living persons working at any of the precincts I mention are pure coincidence. Thanks to the staff and trustees of the Police Foundation for all the good work they do, and to New York University Law School, especially the Criminal Justice Department, for a never-ending deluge of information and stimulation.

Special thanks to my agent, Nancy Yost, and editor, Audrey LaFehr, for believing in me (and for much more), and to all the people at Dutton/NAL in production, promotion, marketing and sales who work so hard to make the magic happen. And to Alex and Lindsey, my anchor, inspiration, and joie de vivre, three cheers!

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action; and, till action, lust Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust; Enjoyed no sooner but despised straight; Past reason hunted, and no sooner had, Past reason hated as a swallowed bait, On purpose laid to make the taker mad: Mad in pursuit, and in possession so: Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme: A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe; Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream. All this the world well knows; yet none knows well. To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

—William Shakespeare Sonnet 129

CHAPTER 1

The morning Heather Rose Popescu finally resolved to set her life in order, she lost her baby, ended up in the hospital, and became the subject of an intense police inquiry. This result was no less than she expected because of the remedy she'd used to purge her troubled soul. And by noon, like a person condemned, she was already preparing for the end of her life as she knew it. In a state of terrified purpose, she set about her domestic tasks. For beauty, she put an arrangement of magnificent pink peonies on the table in the living room. For taste, she was preparing her husband's favorite dinner, roast duck. In her panic, she remembered the duck in the freezer and seized on it at the last moment as a possible appeasement.