“I appreciate it. That will save me time.” Hadley was now walking alongside the Hobbs’ property line. The rows of cornstalk remnants on their neighbor’s land rustled in the breeze, creating a whispering chorus that seemed to follow her movements. “I’ll be on the road soon. Thanks, Ramos.”
Hadley disconnected the call before sliding her cell phone into her pocket. The moon was no longer covered by the thin wisps of clouds moving east. Fortunately, the moonlight cast everything in a silvery glow, giving her additional light on the way to her SUV.
Another ten minutes of empty fields to her right, patches of trees here and there, she finally reached the end of the neighbor’s cornfields. The crickets had only gotten louder, but they couldn’t drown out the two owls continually asking their endless questions.
A sudden rustling to her left made her swing the flashlight toward the sound, her other hand instinctively moving to her weapon. The beam caught movement in a patch of thicket between properties, revealing nothing at first.
She stood perfectly still.
The owls stopped questioning, and the crickets halted their song.
What bothered Hadley the most was how the fields had become quiet.
"They say the Threshing Man comes when the fields go quiet. When the air smells like rot and the sky goes copper. He doesn’t reap what’s sown—he takes what’s owed."
Haley wished more than anything right now that she could erase those words from her mind.
The sound suddenly came again.
Something was moving through the undergrowth, larger than a rabbit or raccoon. She held her position, flashlight steady, as a doe finally emerged from the thicket. The animal froze in the beam, eyes reflecting the light with an eerie glow before quickly bounding away in a series of graceful leaps.
Hadley ever so slowly released the breath she was holding as she tracked the deer's escape path with her light. The doe eventually disappeared into the darkness beyond the propertyline.As another breeze rustled the trees, a faint glint appeared in the far distance between a grove of tall pines. As the wind settled and the crickets began to sing once more, the glimmer was snuffed out as if it had never existed.
Hadley peered over her shoulder, the moonlight shining down on the cornfield she’d already walked past. She’d studied the map long enough to know there were no structures or outhouses out this way.
Was someone passing through the area?
One of the reasons she considered the Hobbs brothers as viable suspects was the location of their land. Three properties basically intersected at a point, and one of those farms belonged to Martin Cox.
Pulling the map from her pocket, she unfolded it awkwardly while maintaining her grip on the flashlight. She traced the property lines with her finger, confirming what she already suspected—there was no barn or any other structure marked in that location.
While Hadley refolded the map, she lifted her gaze and searched for the light again. She waited patiently for the breeze to pick up and…there it was again.
A thin sliver of light.
Hadley moved in that direction, attempting to keep a bead on the faint glint. Curiosity got the best of her. The ground became increasingly uneven as she crossed over the property line, causing her difficulty in finding purchase on the uneven ground.
She contemplated whether she should turn off her flashlight. If someone was out there somewhere, she didn’t want them to know of her presence. On the other hand, the tall pines shielded the moonlight, leaving her in near-total darkness.
After a few minutes of walking, Hadley paused and swept her flashlight across the tangled vegetation. She hadn’t caught sight of the pinprick of light since she’d entered the small patch ofwoods. She finally turned off her flashlight and patiently waited. It wasn’t until a larger breeze was able to sway the pines back and forth that she realized what had been there the entire time.
The sliver of light ran vertically, as if escaping through a set of curtains. Cautiously moving forward, she didn’t stop until she could make out the shadowy outline of a small cabin nestled among the tall pines.
Hadley had a decision to make.
The cabin was located approximately fifty yards beyond the Hobbs property line. No vehicle was visible, not that she had any idea how one could get through the trees. Her vision had adjusted enough to make out something near the side, and she could only guess that it was a tarp covering some firewood. There didn’t seem to be ‘no trespassing’ signs, but this was indeed private property.
She thought of Reed, of the journals that now existed only as ash. He’d trusted someone…a local who had grown up in Whistlerun. Ramos’ theory pointed to the Hobbs, but what if they were wrong? What if one simple check around the cabin could prove otherwise?
30
Gus Jenkins
October 2025
Tuesday – 6:02pm
The dull ache in Gus's knuckles intensified as he adjusted his grip on the polished oak cane. Tuesday evenings were typically quiet at the Watering Hole, and tonight was no exception. From his worn stool near the end of the bar, he surveyed the handful of regulars scattered among the tables, each nursing their drinks, some in comfortable silence and others engaging in good-natured conversations.
