Benevolent Evil by Sylvia Nobel

Strange happenings from the past collide with ominous present-day events when intrepid Castle Valley reporter, Kendall O’Dell, investigates the mysterious disappearance of Holly Mason, a young woman with a troubled criminal history, drug addiction and an abusive husband. Last seen at a truck stop near Kingman, Arizona, an eyewitness points the finger at registered sex offender, Nelson Trotter, who recently inherited the Double G Ranch along with his sister, Wanda, who was accused of murdering her husband’s mistress.

While Kendall and Tugg struggle to keep the newspaper afloat, their new publisher, Thena Rodenborn, agrees to invest additional money only under the stipulation that Kendall help her acquire an abandoned church with a scandalous past. Because it’s located on the Double G Ranch, Kendall is forced to cross paths with the unsavory Trotter siblings.

After a second young woman vanishes, Kendall suspects human trafficking. When she begins to close the loop of sinister activities, it leads her to the brink of death in her efforts to expose a dark and horrific secret.