voice touched with concern.
Katie had made up a story about a family emergency that Kevin would have to deal with when he finallygot back— if he does, said a nasty little voice at the back of her mind. She had tried to ignore the voiceby cleaning up the office and catching up with Kevin's appointments. From organization comes order, her mother had always said. And from order comes answers. But the creeping unease she'd been feelingin the pit of her stomach since receiving that first e-mail from her former lover a little over two weeks agocontinued to grow.
Think I've found something here that might interest you— care for a visit? Katie had thought it nothingmore than another attempt by Kevin to get her back into his life, and she'd ignored the message—untilshe received another a few days later.
Not sure if I can handle this. Really need to see you. Please come.
There was a certain urgency in the communication that had piqued her curiosity. She had called him thenext day, but there was no answer at the clinic. And when Kevin had failed to return the multiplemessages she'd left on his home phone over several days, she'd decided to take some vacation time andhead toMaine . They may have broken up nearly two years earlier, but it didn't mean they weren't stillfriends.
The office had been in complete disarray— Kevin did have a tendency to become easily distracted. Infact it was a distraction with another woman that had brought an end to their relationship. But this wasdifferent.
Katie glanced at her watch; it was nearly six, and she felt as though she hadn't stopped to breathe allafternoon—between appointments, trying to bring order to the place, and figure out where Kevin hadgone. She thought of Aaron Corbet. He seemed just the person to help her keep the practice afloatduring Kevin's absence.
She snatched up his dog's file from the corner of the desk and casually began to review it. The words "raccoon bite" stuck out like a sore thumb. Katie had seen many bites in her years as a vet—and Gabriel's hadn't been caused by any raccoon. She wasn't even sure if the bite had come from anythingthat walked on four legs. In fact, the wound looked as though it might have been made by a small child. Something else to add to the strangeness of Blithe, she thought.
The veterinarian sighed and closed the folder. She moved to the file cabinet next to the desk and pulledopen the drawer. Katie added Gabriel's file to the others she had organized and tried to slide it closed. But something was blocking it. She reached in and felt behind the drawer. Sometimes a file slipped out ofplace and became wedged in the sliding track. Her hand closed on what felt like a book. She tugged itfree and slammed the drawer shut.
Probably some veterinary journal,she mused, bringing it to the desk to take a look. It was journal, allright, but one of a far more personal nature: Kevin's journal. She remembered him writing in it each nightbefore bed. It was something he had started in college. Helps me get my thoughts in order, he had toldher one night when she'd asked him about the habit.
She flipped through the entries and stopped at the one dated June 1:
Saw another one today on my hike. Yd swearthey were watching me. Gives me the creeps.Wonderwhat Katie would think.
That was right about the time she had received his first e-mail. With a churning sensation in the pit of herstomach, Katie turned to the date closest to the last message he had sent:
June 8 Found another one and put it in thefreezer with the rest. Don't know what the cause is. Don'twant to alarm the localsYET. Never in all my years have 1 seen any thing like it. 1 wonder if it has
anything todo with how strangely the local fauna's been acting lately. I still swear they're watchingme. I need somebody else to see this—somebody 1 trust. I'm going to ask Katie to come. I'm feeling a little spooked right now, and it'll be good to see her.
"What the hell are
Katie had made up a story about a family emergency that Kevin would have to deal with when he finallygot back— if he does, said a nasty little voice at the back of her mind. She had tried to ignore the voiceby cleaning up the office and catching up with Kevin's appointments. From organization comes order, her mother had always said. And from order comes answers. But the creeping unease she'd been feelingin the pit of her stomach since receiving that first e-mail from her former lover a little over two weeks agocontinued to grow.
Think I've found something here that might interest you— care for a visit? Katie had thought it nothingmore than another attempt by Kevin to get her back into his life, and she'd ignored the message—untilshe received another a few days later.
Not sure if I can handle this. Really need to see you. Please come.
There was a certain urgency in the communication that had piqued her curiosity. She had called him thenext day, but there was no answer at the clinic. And when Kevin had failed to return the multiplemessages she'd left on his home phone over several days, she'd decided to take some vacation time andhead toMaine . They may have broken up nearly two years earlier, but it didn't mean they weren't stillfriends.
The office had been in complete disarray— Kevin did have a tendency to become easily distracted. Infact it was a distraction with another woman that had brought an end to their relationship. But this wasdifferent.
Katie glanced at her watch; it was nearly six, and she felt as though she hadn't stopped to breathe allafternoon—between appointments, trying to bring order to the place, and figure out where Kevin hadgone. She thought of Aaron Corbet. He seemed just the person to help her keep the practice afloatduring Kevin's absence.
She snatched up his dog's file from the corner of the desk and casually began to review it. The words "raccoon bite" stuck out like a sore thumb. Katie had seen many bites in her years as a vet—and Gabriel's hadn't been caused by any raccoon. She wasn't even sure if the bite had come from anythingthat walked on four legs. In fact, the wound looked as though it might have been made by a small child. Something else to add to the strangeness of Blithe, she thought.
The veterinarian sighed and closed the folder. She moved to the file cabinet next to the desk and pulledopen the drawer. Katie added Gabriel's file to the others she had organized and tried to slide it closed. But something was blocking it. She reached in and felt behind the drawer. Sometimes a file slipped out ofplace and became wedged in the sliding track. Her hand closed on what felt like a book. She tugged itfree and slammed the drawer shut.
Probably some veterinary journal,she mused, bringing it to the desk to take a look. It was journal, allright, but one of a far more personal nature: Kevin's journal. She remembered him writing in it each nightbefore bed. It was something he had started in college. Helps me get my thoughts in order, he had toldher one night when she'd asked him about the habit.
She flipped through the entries and stopped at the one dated June 1:
Saw another one today on my hike. Yd swearthey were watching me. Gives me the creeps.Wonderwhat Katie would think.
That was right about the time she had received his first e-mail. With a churning sensation in the pit of herstomach, Katie turned to the date closest to the last message he had sent:
June 8 Found another one and put it in thefreezer with the rest. Don't know what the cause is. Don'twant to alarm the localsYET. Never in all my years have 1 seen any thing like it. 1 wonder if it has
anything todo with how strangely the local fauna's been acting lately. I still swear they're watchingme. I need somebody else to see this—somebody 1 trust. I'm going to ask Katie to come. I'm feeling a little spooked right now, and it'll be good to see her.
"What the hell are
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