Chapter Excerpts

ONE

AN EXHILARATING FEELING took hold of Jake as he and KC, his ten year-old golden retriever, wound down the curving, forest-canopied entrance to his cabin at Sandy Cove in the Minnesota North Woods. Large, mature oak and maple trees, still holding their fall leaves, lined the grassy half-mile access road with an occasional spruce tree accent. The final light of day barely captured the brilliant fall colors in the crisp air. His anticipation of arrival was like no other as the comfort of childhood memories created the familiar sense of well-being.
     With his first glimpse of the cabin, however, Jake immediately knew something was wrong. The back door to the three-season porch stood wide open. It appeared stuck or jammed, allowing anything to come or go as it pleased. In thirty years, this had never happened. Oh, there had been the time when someone used the cabin to escape a winter storm for a few days, but for the door to be open like this—it made no sense.
     The hair on the nape of KC’s neck bristled, and as soon as Jake opened the back gate, the dog jumped from the Yukon and barked aggressively while moving toward the cabin. His hips were lowered and his front legs braced in a ready stance. His eyes focused suspiciously in anticipation of a hidden menace.

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