The woods grew quiet as the sun disappeared. The sunlight that had been weakly filtering through the trees gave up and the moon took over. It was Thursday evening, eleven days after finding Sara. I reflected on how much had changed and hoped that soon we could all return to our version of normal. We had launched one more mission to follow Milo. The gang was certain he was up to “no good,” as Vi would say. Since I now suspected someone else entirely, I had gone along with this to keep them safely watching the wrong person. Baxter’s leash was taut in my hand as he strained to sniff the area around us. Seth and Tuffy crouched behind a tree about twenty feet away.
Vi and Mom had set up a vantage point along the road that led back into town; my dad was farther along Singapore Highway in case Milo headed south. He was testing out his new mobile police-band radio. Diana and Alex watched Message Circle. I had turned everything I knew over to Tom; hopefully he was closing in on the murderer. The rest of us were wasting our time, but I felt reassured that everyone I cared about was currently watching Milo while the real killer was nowhere near these woods.
I saw Milo run his metal detector over the ground in the silver moonlight. The familiar click-click sound no longer seemed threatening. He stopped when the clicks got closer together, turned on a portable lantern, and began to dig.
I heard Baxter’s heavy breathing at my side. I was surprised Milo hadn’t noticed Baxter’s loud panting. Seth glanced in my direction, and then I saw a blur of light brown as Tuffy took off into the woods.
Baxter pulled at the leash, and I had no choice but to be dragged along after him or lose him to the darkness. I gave up all pretense of quietly observing Milo and shouted at Seth to run. Milo dropped the shovel and bent to pick up the lantern. He shined it at the tree Seth had been hiding behind, but Seth was already up ahead chasing Tuffy.
I had no idea where Tuffy thought he was going. Wherever he was headed, it wasn’t a silent approach. We made so much noise running, I was sure Milo must be following us as well. My phone vibrated in my pocket—a text. I didn’t have time for Vi’s update.
The branches that were too high for Baxter struck at my face, and I put my arm up to block them. The stitches pulled in my arm as I strained against the leash. I ran with my head down, tucked under my right arm, and hoped Baxter knew where he was going as he tugged me deeper into the woods. I saw a light up ahead in a small clearing and pulled on Baxter’s leash to slow him down. Seth had stopped running as well, and we walked up to the edge of the clearing, breathing hard and staying behind the trees. My phone vibrated again; I reached into my pocket and shut it off. I felt the weight of my gun in the waistband at the small of my back and was glad I had brought it. I felt that I was back in that horrible dream from the night of Diana’s spells. The woods, the moonlight in the clearing, the sense of being dragged through the trees: it all combined with the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. My legs felt boneless as I realized this was the place—the place from my dream, where Mac would be hurt.
Joe Stark was in the clearing with a lantern and a shovel. He had been digging for a while by the looks of the pile of dirt at his feet. He held Tuffy by the collar and tried not to get bit by the snarling, growling demon Tuffy had become. He picked Tuffy off the ground by his collar and got his arm around the dog to stop his struggling. Tuffy yipped and then continued growling.
The dog must have sensed we were nearby, because he stopped fighting with Stark and scanned the trees looking for us. Stark stood very still, his head cocked, listening.
“Hello? Who’s there?” His face was in shadow, his long hair falling over his eyes.
I gestured to Seth to stay back in the trees, and I stepped forward into the clearing.
“Hi, Joe. Thanks for catching my dog.” I willed my voice to stay calm, but I could barely hear myself over the pounding in my ears. All my alarm bells were clanging.
Joe’s mouth formed a smile.
“This isn’t your dog.”
I forced myself to take another step forward. I felt Baxter leaning into my leg, his chest vibrating with a growl that began deep in his throat. “I’m taking care of him for the owner.”
“The owner is dead.” Stark put Tuffy down. The dog snarled and bit into Stark’s ankle. Stark’s other leg came around and caught Tuffy in his back leg. He let out a yelp of pain and the little furry body flew several feet before landing still and silent just a yard or two from where Seth was hiding. Stark bent down to his shovel, and when he stood, he had a gun in his hand pointed directly at me.