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Meood

She turned to walk out of the roo A rustling sound

She turned back and waited Nothing She s in And right now, it smelled clean and just a bit salty

She headed for the door again, but once there, paused oncewatched

She turned back

She gave herself a mental shake

There was no one there

"It’s my house now, you know," she said softly aloud "And I will love it as Cutter did, and allow no evil!"

What a ridiculous assertion And how bizarre to feel that soold death- Tut

But the deathevil about it

She shook her head and deter the door firmly behind her

5

Liam arrived at the Merlin house at five-thirty, just in tiainst the first pastel colors of the dying day

It rose large andpaint and darker dor that lived and breathed

He parked and, as he walked up to the house, he noted the open s

He knocked on the door and waited, then tried the knob

It was open

He entered and heard voices fro that the floor had been swept, soed, and that it was already beginning to feel lived-in once again He was still disturbed by the carelessness of the open door and s

Jonas, Katie and Kelsey were in the kitchen They each had a bottle of beer and appeared to be happily chatting in a casual way

Kelsey saw hiht that her blue eyes were i on the butcher-block counter but straightened

"The door was open," he said "I knocked, but no one heard ive hi late, then I’ to dinner Wouldn’t you like to coht forsomeone else onto the floor so that Clarinda can take over forsoul He keeps putting it off He actually needs to bring in a few o home and spend some quality time with David! See you all tomorrow, or later, if anyone is bored and wants to come by Jonas, I know I’ll see you soon ’Bye all," Katie said and stepped around Liam

"I’ll follow you out And lock the door," Liao hohter schedule, too"

"Thanks, both of you, for all the help," Kelsey said

"No problehtly

Liam wasn’t sure why, but it didn’t make him particularly happy just then to think that Jonas lived so close to the house, he could literally see Kelsey anytilad; friends should be close Jonas was a friend

He winced inwardly, wondering if he was seeing the ether for years, so that was pretty foolish Jealousy was not an attractive emotion But he wasn’t certain he was jealous He was uneasy And he wasn’t sure why He sees up in his head

But he had been the one to find Cutter Merlin dead, in the chair, his eyes wide open in fear

"I’ll walk you both out," he said lightly

Kelsey followed hi room and then parlor to lock the two out She suarded look in her eyes

"What?" she asked, when he had locked the door after the other two

"Kelsey, you knohat Twice, I came here and people had broken in"

She waved a hand in the air "Liam, people knew that Cutter was dead, that the house was empty An easy mark"