Shadow in the Pines Read Online Free PDF Page B

thoughts.
    Plagued with a vague sense of uneasiness, Dani broke down and went shopping at the local animal shelter, arriving home with an adorable mutt that hung on her every word. He was probably worthless for protection, but his spotted hair and happy brown eyes made her feel less alone immediately. He welcomed any and all attention with a happy bark and a quick doggie kiss if she wasn’t careful. She named him Bandit because of the mask of gray hair around his sparkling eyes, and he promptly made himself at home by her feet wherever she might be. Noah teased her about her big, bad, watchdog, but she caught him wrestling with the dog and enjoying his company too when he didn’t know she was watching.
    ***
    Finally, darkness closed in, surrounding him, bringing with it the comfort of anonymity. He’d waited, impatiently, for Dani to arrive then watched in hidden silence as she unloaded her car. The woods offered no threat to him, they were his home. He could navigate them easily in the dark, even without the help of the full moon that shone down on him now. If he’d known about the sale of the house sooner, he could have taken care of everything before she arrived, but no matter. It had been six years and the Tyler police had bumbled the case from the beginning. They’d never pin anything on him after all this time.
    Just to be sure, though, he wanted one last look at the cellar. Biding his time as he caught occasional glimpses of Dani through the windows, he waited until the house was dark, then slowly, cautiously made his way across the road and behind the house, ignoring the subtle crunch of gravel beneath his feet.
    Internally, his anger coiled and uncoiled, striking out like the reptiles in his beloved lab. Who did this woman think she was asking all those questions and bringing his name up again when he’d worked so hard? Obviously, the hope that he’d had about the passage of time was in vain. Somehow, he had to stop her before she got the whole thing stirred up again. All he had to do was pick the right time. But he was still undecided. If he killed her, there’d be another investigation and the location was just too coincidental. Especially after she’d asked so many questions. No, maybe all he needed to do was scare her. Scare her bad enough that she’d pack up and get the hell out of town without looking back!

Chapter Four
    When Dr. Abraham closed the lab to attend a convention, Dani decided to put the time off to good use. She’d spent so much time working in the front yard to make the place look better, but she’d neglected all the land behind the house. Dragging her lawn equipment out of the garage, she went diligently to work. Once the yard area was cut and trimmed, hopefully for the last time this year, she picked up a rake and headed for the perimeter where the yard merged into a thick bank of cedar trees.
    A fence didn’t enclose the yard, but it was easy to make out the boundaries. At one point, grass ceased to exist, replaced by old leaves and debris that cluttered the ground under the line of pine trees. Dani spent most of the afternoon raking leaves and twigs and filling lawn bags, but she was surprised when she swung the rake into the center of a new pile and heard the clank of metal. Closer examination revealed two doors, at a slight incline, completely buried by leaves.
    Casting a glance around at the shadows beginning to develop from the setting sun, she saw Bandit chasing a butterfly around the side of the house. Stifling a shudder, she tugged on the door handle until it opened, revealing a cavernous hole and rickety looking wooden steps that disappeared into blackness below. It crossed her mind that it might be better to wait for Noah, but it would be dark soon and curiosity got the best of her.
    After a quick sprint to the garage for a flashlight, she sat down on the top step and shone it down into the hole. Too dark to really see anything. Resisting twinges of claustrophobia,