Chapter I<br >The newspaper ad was short and to the point.<br >Wanted， it said. Reader. Reliable， responsible.<br >Flexible hours.<br > That s me， Melanie Jacobs thought when<br >she saw it. Sloe hadn t discovered any great<br >hidden talents ~bout herself yet. But she could<br >read. She wasNreliable. And she could use<br >some extra money.<br > When Melanie answered the ad， the woman<br >on the phone had a cool， clipped voice， but<br >Melanie thought she heard a hint of relief in<br >it. Maybe nobody else had called about the<br >job， which turned out to be reading to an invalid<br >for about an hour a day. The pay was decent.<br > Drive up the cliff road， the woman had said.<br >When you can t go any farther， you re there. It s<br >the Randolph house.<br > It was gray and foggy when Melanie left her<br >own house and drove through the streets of<br ><br >