To Make an Underworld

the long version

Leaving his wife, son, and his name behind, Robert Cravenhead, one of England's foremost industrialists. eschews polite retirement - the gold watch, gardening, et al. - in favor of a new life at his seaside cottage in Cornwall. But Cravenhead's long-dreamed-of tranquility crumbles into a nightmare when he discovers a young girl, small, strange, and waiflike, locked in the bathroom of his newly renovated house. If the girl's presence disarms Robert, police reports of her absence, rape, and subsequent murder shatter the remains of his peace and set him on a new and uncharted path toward self-discovery.