Second cousin removed

the long version

Back of the moment when a blow is struck there can be years of anguish that never get mentioned in court. So it is with Laura Farnham; her husband, Vance, a civic leader and religious evangelist (by reputation, a model of propriety and morality—in fact, a sanctimonious hypocrite who abuses his wife and their two daughters); and Robert Vallance, who has silently loved Laura for years and who happens also to be Farnham's second cousin and business associate. The blow in their case comes not as a result of villainous planning; it is the result rather of impetuosity combined with emotions endured to the breaking point. The victim is such a blackguard that you're likely to think he got what he deserved; and the suspect will so have endeared himself that you'll hope he gets away with it if he *did* it.