Jake Sands [abridged]

Jake Sands has had a truly action-packed life, Now a 40-something retiree, he first worked with a special government unit and then as a "recoverer" of stolen or missing objects...and people. His work made him a very rich man, but he paid a steep price: the double murder of his wife and child. Jake now spends his days working out and his nights staying awake with his memories. One night, while jogging along the path of Coco Palms, the exclusive, high-security residential enclave in Santa Barbara where he lives, Jake literally stumbles upon a body.

Jake Sands has had a truly action-packed life as a recoverer of stolen objects and people. His work has made him a very rich man, but he paid a steep price: the murder of his wife and child. Jake now spends his days working out and his nights haunted by memories.

With the double murder of his wife and child, Jake Sands gave up his lucrative career as a "recoverer" of stolen or missing objects and people. Hoping to escape his past ties to Los Angeles, he has moved to Santa Barbara, spending his days trying to avoid past friends and future decisions, and his nights awake with his memories. Jake, however, is not the sort of man who can stay retired for long.