Hidden Heritage

After a human corpse from a gruesomemurder is discovered at the Carlton County Feed Yard, Sheriff SamAbbott, Undersheriff Lottie Albright, and her deputy husband know theirresources are going to be overstretched. Still, none of their team or theneighboring law enforcement in western Kansas welcomes the idea of a regionalcrime center.KBI agent Dimon suggests the murdermay not be a simple local affair. Unconvinced, Lottie-still director of thehistorical society-calls for stories from families whose ancestors were part ofgroups colonizing Kansas, hoping to uncover information for the investigation.Dona Francesca Diaz, the elderly head of one such clan, arrives at the society withher great-granddaughter. It turns out that the murder victim was Francesca'sgreat-grandson Victor. Francisca insists she knows why Victor was killed,claiming to have ancient documents that can clarify everything.At Dona Francesca's invitation,Lottie visits the Diaz property and gets several surprises. In a drought-riddenarea, the land is lush; there are hints of a mysterious family treasure; and Francesca,a fabled curandera with terribly damaged hands, seeks an heir for her herbal knowledgeand folk medicine skills. With Victor dead and his sister vowing to become anun, Francesca has selected Lottie. Reluctant yet fascinated, Lottie agrees.And that's just the first step into generations of a family history fraughtwith tension and emotional distress. Will it also hold the key to murder andother terrible crimes?