“Good for you. I wish I’d kept up with my education.”
Ellie thought about asking him to elaborate but didn’t want to pry. Despite Matt’s efforts, she couldn’t help worrying about her father. She was about to open her mouth when she heard a shrill cry. Ellie found herself staring at a fox, the sight of which sent Boomer into a frenzy.
“Relax, Boomer—it’s just a fox.” Ellie backed away, trying to show the fox she meant it no harm. With a flick of its tail, the fox turned and darted away.
“Nicely done.”
“I know my way around animals. It’s one of those things about having a veterinarian for a dad.”
“Over here!” The sound of her father’s voice echoed through the woods.
Ellie and Matt followed the sound. Her father was staring at a print almost nine inches in diameter, with four long toes and claw marks jutting into the soil.
“You’re the expert, Doc. What kind of animal leaves a track like that?” Matt asked.
“I honestly don’t know. Dogs, cats, and raccoons all leave four-fingered prints, but the size of this is much too big to match with any of those animals. The claws aren’t retracted. That would suggest our predator’s in the canine family, but even a wolf leaves prints less than six inches in diameter.”
“What about bears?” Matt snapped a few pictures of the print with his phone.
“It would have to be enormous—and most bears have five toes. Whatever it is, something with a print this size would definitely be large enough to eviscerate a cow. Maybe even a man.” There was an ominous tone in his voice.
“You know what else is strange?” Ellie glanced around. “This whole area is muddy, but this is the only print here.” It was impossible to imagine the creature leaping away, yet it couldn’t have simply vanished into thin air.
The sun grew brighter overhead, apparent even through the net of shade cast by the trees.
Matt took one last glance at the print. “We should head back. I need to file my report and get back to the station to issue a lookout for Jack Taylor. I don’t relish having to tell this to the sheriff. Jack Taylor’s a friend of his.”
“I’ll do some research on that print,” Ellie’s father said.
“Thanks. Let me know what you find.”
Lost in thought, Ellie fell behind. What had happened there? She hesitated. Something nearby sounded like a voice. “Wait.”
“What is it?” her father asked.
“I think I hear something.” She peered deeper into the forest and noticed a man sitting against a tree bearing claw marks. He was shaking and muttering aloud, and his expression was glazed over, like he was only partially there. Ellie broke into a sprint, but he seemed unaware of her presence. “Mr. Taylor?” She put a hand on his shoulder.
Her words startled him to life and he grabbed her, his face lined with a look of fear. “It’s a monster!” His grip tightened. “Keep away from it!”
Ellie did her best to pull away.
“Ellie!” Her father came running. “Are you all right?”
Ellie nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“I had better take care of this.” Matt extended a hand to Jack. “Mr. Taylor, I’m Deputy Simmons. I’m here to help.”
Although Jack remained silent, there was one word frozen on his lips. Ellie knew what it was.
Monster.
‘Whistle while you work’ wasn’t an expression Sarah believed in. This would have remained the case even if she were not currently working with Mrs. Rogers. In Sarah’s mind, work was a means to an end—money. That was one reason why she was glad she worked with Ellie. At least they could talk to each other to pass the time. Sadly, with Ellie off work, Sarah was stranded with Mrs. Rogers, who was in a singularly bad mood.
Work wasn’t the only thing on Sarah’s mind. Ever since the camping trip, she had started to realize how much she was going to miss her friend.
“Are you paying attention?” Mrs. Rogers snapped.
“Absolutely.” Sarah parroted Ellie’s sweet tone. How can she run a clothing store and still manage to dress like it’s the 1950s?
“Good. I’m going out to get something for lunch. Clean the windowpanes while I’m gone.”
Sarah offered a mock salute once Mrs. Rogers’ back was turned. As her boss vanished into the virtually abandoned mall, Sarah reluctantly grabbed a spray bottle of cleaning solution and some paper towels, approached the window panel and got to work.
Could this day get any worse? As she rubbed the glass with the paper towel, the face of Winston Henderson appeared on the other side of the glass.
“Sarah? Can we talk?”
She waited for him to enter the store. “What do you want, Winston? Judging from that woolen sweater, I’m guessing you’re not here to buy any new clothes. Pink really is your color, by the way.”
“My grandmother gave me this sweater!” Winston frowned, indignant.
More like his great-grandmother. “I never would have guessed.” She made no effort to keep the sarcasm from her voice. “Anyway, sorry to disappoint you, but Ellie isn’t here.”
His next words caused her to cringe in horror. “I’m not here for her. I’m here to see you, Sarah.”
Sarah couldn’t speak. “What?” she managed to choke out.
“I need to talk to you about Ellie. It’s about that new guy she’s been hanging around with—Alexander Thorne.”
“What about him?”
“I don’t trust him. He came out of nowhere…”
Sarah looked for a sign of Mrs. Rogers, but she was still on her lunch break. “People move all the time. You’re going to have to do better than that. How about trying to be happy for Ellie instead of jealous? She’s definitely earned it, being nice to you all those years for reasons only God knows.”
“You haven’t seen the way he looks at her. I’m telling you, there’s something wrong with him.”
“He seems like a normal guy to me, which is more than I can say for you, by the way.”
Winston looked desperate. “OK, what about this—I tried calling the number he left on his form at the feed mill. No one answered.”
“Maybe he wasn’t home.”
“No one answered because,” he stopped for dramatic effect, “it wasn’t even a real number.”
That got her interest. “Maybe he wrote it down wrong. He did call Ellie the other day, so he had to have called from somewhere.”
“See if you can get the number from her phone. I’d be awfully interested to see who answers.”
“OK, that’s enough. I’ve humored you for a while, but now you’re asking me to spy on my friend based on some stupid hunch? There’s no way I would help you do that. You’re crazy.”
“Maybe I’m wrong, but what if I’m right? You’re her friend. I know you don’t want to see her get hurt. I tell you what. Why don’t you come with me after you get off work? I’m going to see if he wrote the right address down on the form. If I’m wrong, I won’t bother either of you again.”
Sarah considered the offer. “And you can’t mention any of this to Ellie. Ever. Or anyone else, now that you mention it.”
“Deal.” He stuck out his hand for her to shake it.
Sarah gave him a look and just shook her head.
She regretted the decision to ally herself with Winston Henderson of all people—even temporarily—for the rest of her shift. Was this how Ellie had felt after their date?
Sarah froze. What if that’s what he thinks this is? What if he’s changed his mind about Ellie, and now he’s interested in me? The thought terrified her, and she found herself hoping her shift would never end. Ellie, you owe me big time for this.
After work, she met Winston in the parking lot. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Sarah ducked her head and hoped no one she knew saw that Hazard’s most popular cheerleader was about to go for a drive with the nerdy Winston Henderson. At least she felt safe with him. She’d known Winston long enough to be sure he was harmless
. “This better not be some kind of ploy to get me to date you.”
“You’re not exactly my type.”
Sarah narrowed her eyes at him but chose to ignore the remark.
“No one seems to have heard of Alexander’s father either.”
“How many people have you asked about this?”
“It’s a small town. I know people. Don’t forget, I was the captain of the chess club.” His voice was full of pride.
“Spare me.” Maybe it was Winston’s persistence, but she was starting to have second thoughts about Ellie’s new love interest. Her initial impression of Alexander was strong. If anything, he seemed a little too perfect. But he did look at Ellie with a strange intensity for someone who had only met her a few nights ago. Maybe it was a deep infatuation. Sarah was certain Winston was simply being paranoid, or jealous of a good-looking rival. Perhaps both.
“Whatever you say.”
“That’s what I want to hear.” Sarah folded her arms across her chest. “So, where are we headed?”
“Three hundred and sixty Williams Road.” Winston handed her the form Alexander filled out at the feed mill. “Ellie was there when he signed this.”
Sarah leaned back and crossed her arms. “What are you expecting? Do you think we’re going pull up to the house and he’s not going to be inside? You don’t strike me as the type to break in.”
They passed house after house until they reached a grassy field on the development’s outskirts. Sarah looked at the last house. The number on the mailbox said seventy-three.
The two stared out at the empty lot, covered in overgrowth and weeds. House three hundred and sixty did not exist.
There was nothing there. Nothing at all.
Chapter Seven
Moments after the last light died, a howl rang out. Frightened deer sprinted across the field in search of cover. Fog slowly spread over the land as the temperature dropped. A monstrous shape passed through the fog toward a farmhouse—the only house around for miles. The farmhouse’s lights beckoned her like a flame in the dark.
Aristae felt the earth tremble under her feet. With each second she amassed speed, becoming all but a blur under the waning moon. Thick red fur shielded her from the cold; not that it mattered. Nothing would deter her from her goal.
Well-tuned ears heard the farmhouse’s two inhabitants moving around inside. Aristae turned her attention to the barn and forced her way inside its splintering wooden door. Black lips pulled back around her mouth, forming a twisted mockery of a smile. She didn’t care if she was heard. In fact, she hoped for it. She dragged her razor-sharp claws along a horse stall and savored the smell of the horse’s fear.
Outside the barn, the farmhouse door swung open. Aristae’s ears perked up.
“What the devil?”
It was a man. A second individual—a woman—followed him outside. Footsteps broke the night silence. From the uneven sound of each step, Aristae guessed he walked with a limp.
A few seconds later, a flashlight illuminated the barrel of a rifle, and an old man poked his head into the barn.
“What is it, Jed?” The woman, her silhouette faintly visible in the darkness, followed him inside.
“Keep quiet, Beth. It’s probably just some drunk.”
“Not many drunks capable of that.” Beth stared at the battered barn door.
“Maybe you should go back. Call the police.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
Careful to keep out of sight, Aristae prowled among the shadows, just beyond the flashlight’s reach.
“What was that?” Jed spun around and pointed the flashlight at the spot where she’d been moments ago. There was nothing there. The beam crept over the claw marks she’d left behind on the stall doors. “What on earth?”
Aristae circled behind Beth, who stood with her back to her. It would be so easy to reach out and take her, but that would ruin the game, and Aristae dearly loved the game. She moved again, causing a wooden gate to creak. When her prey followed the sound with his light, the beam revealed only dust. Moving as quietly as a wraith, Aristae scaled the wall, which shuddered under her monstrous form.
“Did you hear that?” Hay fell from the loft above and landed at Jed’s feet. He stiffened and slowly looked up. The flashlight wavered in his shaking hand as Aristae stared down at him. She lived for that moment—when her prey finally saw her. A massive head—like that of a bear or a wolf. A mouthful of fangs. Enormous claws.
Aristae let out a growl and dropped from the loft onto her prey. He hit the ground hard. The rifle fell from his grip, and the flashlight went rolling away. He struggled to free himself, but she pinned him underneath her, opened her jaws, and tore into his flesh with jagged teeth. Her prey was too old to put up much of a fight, and his screams died almost instantly, leaving her disappointed. Aristae looked up and locked eyes with his wife, who let out a scream and fled into the night. Aristae gave the woman a head start and took off in pursuit. The fun wasn’t over yet.
When she had dragged the woman’s corpse back into the barn and finished feasting, Aristae threw her head back and uttered a final howl. On the wall beside her, still illuminated by the fallen flashlight, her monstrous shadow twisted and shrank to become human once more.
Aristae wiped the blood from her mouth. “That was long overdue.”
Raven-black hair with streaks of red framed a thin face. Like a true predator, Aristae had a beauty that concealed a savage nature. She borrowed Beth’s clothes. The old woman certainly wouldn’t need them anymore. She frowned at the sight of a bloodstain on her shirt. Perhaps she shouldn’t have made such a mess of things. She’d have to appropriate new clothes before reaching her destination. Appearances were everything, and it simply wouldn’t do to be seen like this.
She emerged from the barn and walked from the farmhouse to a lonely road. A large road sign loomed ahead in the fog.
Welcome to Kentucky, it read in the moonlight.
Aristae smiled. She was almost there.
The smell of apple pie filled the cramped living room.
“I brought something for you.” Ellie handed the pie to an old woman in a rocking chair.
“Bless you, Ellie Sullivan.” Julianne Wells pried off the aluminum foil to inspect the pie. “Apple—my favorite. You can set it in the kitchen, if you like. Have you come to see the horses?”
“Yes ma’am.” Ellie placed the pie on Mrs. Wells’ table.
Alexander draped a blanket over Mrs. Wells’ legs. “How are you today?”
“Better, now that I have visitors.” Mrs. Wells turned to Ellie. “Did you know this young man helped with my yard last week?”
Ellie smiled. “He might have mentioned it.” She sometimes imagined she would be like Mrs. Wells in her old age, living happily in a small cottage somewhere.
“It wouldn’t have been possible without young Alexander. My son Bob helps me with daily chores and looks after the horses for me, but his arthritis makes it difficult to do much manual labor.”
Over the years, Ellie had somewhat adopted Mrs. Wells as an unofficial grandmother. When Ellie was a child, Mrs. Wells possessed a vigor that made her seem twenty years younger. When her father visited the Wells’ farm to check on their animals, Ellie begged him to let her come to see the horses.
“Thank you for the pie, Ellie.” Mrs. Wells said. “This girl is a keeper, Alexander.”
Alexander laughed. “I knew that already.”
“Tell me, when am I going to meet this father of yours I’ve heard so much about?”
“Eventually. He’s pretty busy right now, with the move and everything.”
“What a pity. There was a time when I would have baked a pie of my own and introduced myself. Now I can’t get around without a walker.”
At eighty-nine, age had finally caught up with her. Mrs. Wells had shrunken in appearance and suffered from all sorts of maladies. She sometimes got Ellie’s name wrong or confused her with someone else. Of all her children, on
ly Bob visited her, and it was clear she was lonely. Ellie tried to drop by as often as she could.
“Ellie’s going to show me your horses,” Alexander said after a pause. “If that’s all right with you, ma’am.”
“Of course! I told Ellie a long time ago she could come whenever she wanted. She’s such a sweet girl.” Mrs. Wells closed her eyes, as if struggling to stay awake. It was clear she was due for a nap. “Come back soon.” She yawned but did not open her eyes. “And have fun.”
Ellie led Alexander outside. “I think she’s really taken a liking to you.”
“She’s a sweet lady. It was kind of you to make that pie for her. Since I started doing some work for her, Mrs. Wells has spoken very highly of you. It takes a special kind of person to bring light into a lonely person’s life.”
Ellie grinned. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“Embarrassing? That’s not embarrassing. Eating out of one of the horses’ buckets as a kid—now that’s embarrassing.”
Ellie’s brow arched. “She told you that?”
Alexander laughed. “She told me all kinds of stories about you.”
“It’s odd. You know so much about me already, but I don’t know that much about you.”
“I try to stay dark and mysterious.”
“I mean it. You haven’t told me that much about your family, or where you come from.”
“Not much to tell, I’m afraid. I guess I’m boring.”
“I don’t think so.” Ellie opened the stable door and passed him a handful of sugar cubes. “For the horses.” She stopped at the first stall, ran her hand along the horse’s mane, and fed the mare a sugar cube while Alexander watched. When Ellie looked back, he was studying her with a thoughtful expression.“What?”
“Nothing. I admire your thoughtfulness. The way you treat others. You’re just like your mother.”
Ellie raised an eyebrow. The observation struck her as odd. “What makes you say that? You haven’t met her yet.”
Alexander winced, as if he’d let something slip he hadn’t intended. “I meant you must have gotten your personality from somewhere. You’re a special girl, that’s all. I’m glad you bumped into me in that arcade.”
Seeking to Devour Page 7
