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"What…?"

A large shoe box sat on the gray deck and the contact with her sandal had knocked the lid askew Chloe couldn’t see exactly as inside, but what she could see chilled her blood

Feathers spattered with crimson, and thin shattered bones were visible

Chloe spun on her heel and ran back into the house, locking the door behind her She grabbed the phone from its base and dialed Jake’s nu on my back deck I--I think it’s dead"

Fifteen minutes later, Jake pulled into Chloe’s driveway, loped up the sidewalk and knocked loudly on her door It was opened by the ruht outside her house

"Hey, Jake" He jerked his head toward the kitchen "She’s in there"

"What did she find?"

"A shoe box with pieces of a dead seagull inside Looks like so firecracker of some sort, then put it inside the box Her na block letters on the lid She didn’t touch it and neither did I I called the PD They’re sending out someone to collect the evidence and take a report"

"Damn" Jake strode quickly down the hall and into the kitchen Chloe sat at the table, cradling a lanced over her shoulder, saw hireen eyes dark and vulnerable

He held open his ar the back of his shirt

"Hey, babe," he ainst his throat "It ful, Jake Why would anyone do that to a bird?"

"I don’t know So"

She nodded, her hair brushing his throat and chin "Yes" Her voice was steadier, stronger She leaned back and looked up at hi before you catch this person?"

"Maybe today"

Her eyes widened with interest

"I was updown information on Kenny Dodd He joined the Marines with a friend, Alan Granstroon, the sa"

"You think Alan Granstro us?"

"I think it could be Granstro us When Dodd was killed, Alan Granstrom was there and he blamed me for his death He went crazy, even threw a few punches at rief under battle pressure and forgot about it I never thought he’d be carrying a grudge after all this tiht be him," Jake said "In fact, I hope it is, because then we’ll have a name and a face for our stalker Up until noe’ve been looking for a phantoerprints from the sedan, we could’ve included Granstrom or ruled him out because his prints are in the h to wipe the car clean" Jake paused "I have to check out Alan Granstroone?"

"Most of the day It’s a three-to-four-hour drive, one way And I have no idea how long it’ll take to find Granstrom and talk to hioing with you," Chloe said decisively "I’ll call my department head and ask if soht swiftly, weighing the value of having her safely under his watchful eye versus the unknown situation waiting for hi her near hiht" He released her and looked at his watch "It’s after nine Make your call and get whatever you need"

"Why isn’t Gray going with you?" Chloe asked, suddenly re the detective’s interest in their stalker

"He has to testify in court today on another case"

Within the hour, they were driving south on Interstate 5 toward Portland, Starbucks lattes in the cup holders on the console between the out "Crash" on the car’s CD player

"There’s the exit" Chloe pointed at the highway sign with Mason City spelled out in big white letters against a forest-green background

The town’s cluster of buildings was visible froh the business center Shops and stores lined both sides of the wide street, and although small, the town appeared to be prosperous and well kept

"Alan Granstrom’s address is 238 Tenth Street" Jake noted the cross streets as they approached an intersection

"We just passed Eighth," Chloe said

"So, do we turn right or left on Tenth?"

"I vote for left"

Jake waited for an oncoine purred as they ed from a small-business area to a residential one

Chloe peered out the open carto read house numbers "Six-forty, six-twenty, six hundred," she ht direction"

The tree-shaded boulevard drowsed in the early afternoon sunshine Sprinklers arced sprays of water across green lawns and children played at a corner city park

"There" Chloe pointed to a tidy bungalow, set well back on a neat square of laith flower borders edging the walk