A campus bombing, a cold case, and a deadly secret on Baseline Road. In Southern California, May 1970, the turmoil of Nixon's Cambodia invasion and the Kent State killings leads to tragedy: a young economics professor dies in a campus bombing. Authorities arrest a known radical, but nearly two years later, a cryptic message suggests the FBI got it all wrong. Homicide investigator Jimmy Sommes and Claremont Detective Carol Loomis delve into the case, uncovering shadowy figures and a troubled hitman named Collins. As they navigate improbable romances with possible suspects, they realize the answer lies on Baseline Road, a forgotten stretch of highway. Was it a cleverly disguised murder? Enmeshed in a web of political intrigue, drug use, and personal demons, Jimmy and Carol must confront a deadly secret before it claims more victims. For fans of historical crime fiction with a Southern California twist.