Because now he had made another mistake.
He had left evidence.
He had left words.
And every word brought us closer to him.
I looked toward Sheriff Cooper.
“Where did your deputy find it?”
“On the hood of your truck.”
That meant Gerald had come close again.
Close enough to walk into the driveway.
Close enough to touch my truck.
Close enough to leave a message.
The rage inside me went quiet.
Cold.
Controlled.
The kind of rage that didn’t make mistakes.
The kind that hunted.
I looked toward the dark pasture.
“Find him,” I said.
Then I looked down at Sadie.
“And when we do…”
I pulled her tighter.
“He will never come near you again.”
41
GERALD
They were everywhere.
Sheriff’s trucks.
Deputies.
Flashlights cutting through the trees.
Headlights moving down every road.
Even the old highway had roadblocks now.
