A detective struggling to make ends meet. A girl they call the Golden Goose.
In a city run by a powerful mobster, nobody wants to play the hero. Private investigator Charlie Madison just wants to pay the rent.
When a little girl goes missing and no ransom demand is made, Madison takes the case. Time isn't on his side. After 48 hours, it's unlikely an abducted child will be found in one piece. But Madison's a champion of lost causes, and he'll be damned before he gives up on her—even if it means putting his own life on the line.
As the mystery unfolds, Madison learns a bizarre secret that seems too impossible to believe. But it could explain why the girl was kidnapped—and why she might still be alive.
Novelette - Crime Noir / Science Fiction
Prequel to Immaterial Evidence, Yakuza Territory, Chimera Effect, and The Gifted Ones