He thought he was stopping for a stray dog in the snow-until he saw what she was hiding beneath her body

of raw meat lay there, wrong in its neatness. No tracks led close enough for an animal. The smell reached him as soon as he crouched, sharp under the iron scent of thawing flesh, chemical and sweet in a way that made his skin crawl.

He backed up slowly.

Inside, he locked Scout in the mudroom with the puppies safely behind the baby gate he had installed continue reading …