Simple Title: Novel for If Two Are Dead

Three girls venture into the woods, but only one emerges... Driving alone at night through a wild rainstorm, Luke Conway strikes something—or someone. He and his wife, Carrie, recently returned to Clear River to help care for her ailing father, and after a tragedy at his previous job, this move is their final chance at a fresh start. Now, standing in the downpour on this Texas road, Luke, an off-duty cop, faces a decision—and he must make it quickly. There are no witnesses. And he cannot find a body.

Wanting to believe he is merely being paranoid, that he is imagining things, Luke panics and leaves, deciding not to report the incident but instead to secretly investigate it. He cannot add more stress to Carrie, who is already haunted by the unsolved attack and murder of two teenage girls that occurred years ago in Clear River, a horrific crime in which she was the sole survivor. The killer has not been found, but Carrie and Luke's anguished search for answers will slowly unveil the horrific truth.

Luke's choice to conceal the incident weighs heavily on him, as he grapples with the ethical dilemma of his actions. Should he have reported what he encountered, or is his decision to investigate it himself the right course of action? The tension builds as Luke navigates this personal conflict, all while Carrie's past trauma continues to linger, casting a pall over their newfound attempt at a fresh start in Clear River.

As Luke delves deeper into his private inquiry, he uncovers disturbing connections between the present incident and the unsolved murders from years ago. The parallels become increasingly unsettling, and Luke finds himself drawn into a web of secrets and lies that threaten to unravel the fragile stability he and Carrie have worked to rebuild. The closer he gets to the truth, the more the line between right and wrong becomes blurred, forcing him to confront the consequences of his choice to withhold information from the authorities.

Carrie's own haunting memories and the constant fear of the unresolved killings cast a heavy shadow over the couple's attempts to move forward. As Luke's investigation progresses, the past and present collide, leaving them both grappling with the weight of their decisions and the looming possibility that the killer may still be out there, lurking in the shadows of their small town.

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