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FORTY-FIVE

Erin and Kaely sat in the dark while Chester whined. No matter how hard they tried to calm him, he wouldn’t settle down. Finally, Erin got up and went back over to the window. She was trying to be very careful so that no one could see them. The snow was coming down even harder, and she couldn’t make out Timothy’s truck now. It was too dark outside.

“I can’t see anything,” she said to Kaely. “Between the snow and the dark, I can’t make out Tim’s truck. I just want to see if it’s still there. We need to know.”

Kaely shook her head. “I think it’s too dangerous.”

Erin felt frustrated. “I promise, I’ll only take a quick peek. I doubt anyone is waiting for us to open the door for a moment so they can shoot us.”

Kaely sighed. “Okay, but make it fast. I’m not sure what difference it makes.”

“If Timothy is the killer, why would he park where we could see him? And why would he walk into the woods? Why not stay warm inside his truck where he can get a better shot?” She shook her head. “Something doesn’t feel right about this. I mean, what if Timothy actually came to check on us, and he saw or heard something in the woods? What if he’s in trouble?”

“Like you said, he’s a trained officer. He should be able to take care of himself.”

“So was Scott.”

Kaely stared at her for a moment. “Okay. But just a quick look, okay? Don’t go out there. If the truck is still there, close the door. We’ll decide what to do from there. Deal?”

“Deal.”

As if he understood their conversation, Chester stood to his feet. “No, Chester,” she said. “Stay.”

Erin grabbed her coat. Although she only planned to step out on the porch, it was really cold out there. She pulled her gun from its holster, even though she didn’t think she’d need it.

She pulled the door open and stepped out into the storm. It was clear very quickly that it was going to be hard to see anything through the falling and blowing snow. She held the flashlight out in front of her and held her gun in the other hand. She still couldn’t see the truck, so she put the small flashlight in her mouth while she held onto the porch railing so she wouldn’t fall. The steps were slippery, and she almost lost her footing a couple of times.

Suddenly, she heard Chester bark, and he shot past her, toward the figure of a woman in a cloak, light glowing from her body.

“I’m sorry,” Kaely yelled from behind her, trying to be heard over the howling of the wind. “I was trying to shut the door, but he pushed past me before I could stop him.”

Erin only had a moment to react. She was still a little afraid of the ghost, but she’d fallen in love with Chester. In her mind, he was already her dog. No ghost was going to keep her from getting him back. She didn’t look back, nor did she listen to Kaely’s pleading, telling her not to go. She ran into the snow, headed toward the woman who stood still as if waiting for something. Chester was at her feet, barking furiously.

Before Erin could reach them, the woman turned and ran into the trees, Chester behind her.

And Erin followed.