George Martin and his partner Mike live a comfortable life in Jacksonville with their Irish setter, but something's missing. Maybe George, a captain in the sheriff's office, has just been working too hard again. There's been a rash of break-ins in the area, and the homes targeted all seem to belong to older gay men.<br><br>Then when the time finally comes for George and Mike to take their vacation, they pack up and head to their mountain cabin for two weeks-only to find a small boy living in their generator shed. Robbie, who bonds with George right away, has witnessed an unspeakable tragedy, but that is just the beginning of the trouble.<br><br>Alone in the world apart from a very ill maternal grandmother, Robbie stands the very real risk of becoming a ward of the state if George and Mike can't convince a bigoted judge to change his mind. Meanwhile, George still has a job to do: solve the break-ins-and a murder -- and track down who's responsible.

Break and Enter

“Charles,” I said, “didn’t you tell us that you and Philip have six little boys? I think it was mentioned at the restaurant when we were celebrating Robbie’s adoption.”


“This house is awfully quiet for one containing that many children.”


He chuckled and said, “This time of day, they’re up in what used to be the attic. We converted it into a playroom, and it’s extremely well insulated. Their nanny will bring them down later.”


“How long have you been a policeman, George?” Mrs. Barnett said.


“A little over twelve years,” I said. “I started working in the Sheriff’s Office while I was still in college, under an apprenticeship program they offered.”


“So you’re with the Sheriff’s Office, instead of the Jacksonville Police Department?”


Chapter 36