Trevor looked at Cole. “I know what you’re going to say, Cole. I’m sorry. I didn’t know all of this was going to happen.”

Cole sighed as Trevor took another drag off his cigarette. “It was supposed to be a simple job,” Trevor continued. “But that fucking trigger-happy Needles fucked everything up.”

“When we’re out of here,” Cole said, “you give Frank what you owe him and we’re done with this. Okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Swear to me, Trevor.”

“Yes, Cole. I promise.” Trevor took another drag from his cigarette. He looked at Cole again, trying to change the subject. “What do you think’s going on here?”

“I don’t know. Something isn’t right here.”

“What about Needles?”

“I think he’s losing his fucking mind.”

Trevor just nodded.

“Come on,” Cole told Trevor. “Let’s get those cases inside.”

Cole and Trevor got out of the SUV. They opened the back door and grabbed the cases of money. They turned and saw Jose standing in the snow, just watching them.

“What are you doing out here?” Cole asked. He was ready to reach for his weapon. He knew what could happen on big jobs like this, when there was so much money at stake. People got greedy. People wanted more than their share. And sometimes those people were ready to kill for it.

“Frank sent me out here to help you,” Jose said.

“Help us with two cases?” Cole asked, the howling wind trying to tear his words out of the air.

Trevor tossed his case of money at Jose. “Be my guest.”

CHAPTER NINE

The front door burst open. Cole, Trevor, and Jose stomped inside the cabin as snow dripped from their coats and boots. Trevor slammed the door shut and locked the deadbolt.

“Where do you want these cases?” Jose asked.

“Set them over there by the fireplace,” Frank growled at them.

Jose and Cole set the dripping metal cases on the hearth right in front of the small pile of cut wood and the large ax. Cole turned and gave Frank a sarcastic grin. “This good, boss?”

Frank didn’t answer Cole.

Trevor shrugged off his coat and threw it over the back of one of the dining room chairs. “What now, boss?”

Frank stared at Stella and David. “I think it’s time we asked this lady some questions.”

Frank walked across the room to the couch and stood in front of Stella and David. “Stella,” Frank asked in a calm voice that seemed menacing no matter how nice he tried to make it sound. “You got a cellphone on you?”

Stella shook her head no.

“Let me see your purse.”

“I told you, I don’t have a phone.”

Frank held his hand out, waiting for her to hand the purse over.

Stella sighed and handed Frank her purse. Frank tossed the purse to Jose. “Check it out.”

Jose dumped out the contents of Stella’s purse onto the dining room table. He moved the items around: a wallet with a driver’s license and a few credit cards inside, a pack of gum, a brush, lip balm, scraps of paper. He picked up the wallet and read the driver’s license as he looked at Frank. “Stella Weaver from Arizona wasn’t lying. No phone in here.”

Frank turned back to Stella. “Where were you two headed?”

“A relative’s house. My aunt’s house.”

“Far from here?”

“Northern Colorado.”

“So she’s expecting you?”

“No, it was going to be a surprise.”

Frank’s eyes moved to David. Frank crouched down in front of David, trying to get on the kid’s eye level. Frank smiled at the kid, it was supposed to be a comforting smile, but it came across as menacing. “Hey, kid. What’s your name?”

David didn’t answer, he just stared at Frank.

“His name is David,” Stella answered.

“I was talking to him,” Frank told her with his eyes still on David.

“He doesn’t talk much,” Stella said. “Especially when he’s scared.”

Frank nodded and stood back up. He glared at Stella. “Where were you two coming from? What’s with all the tools in the back of your truck?”

“I’m an archeologist. I specialize in Southwest American Indian cultures, especially the Anasazi. They were a people who used to live in what is now the Southwestern United States until they mysteriously vanished around – ”

“Enough with the history lesson – where were you coming from?”

“We were coming from a dig site in New Mexico.”

“And David is your son?”

Stella hesitated. “Yes.”

“No he’s not.”

Jose left the contents of Stella’s purse scattered all over the table. He walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets.

Cole walked to the dining room table and collected the contents and put them back into Stella’s purse.

Jose moved boxes and cans around in one of the cabinets, and then he broke out in a big smile. He pulled out a nearly full bottle of whiskey. “Jackpot,” he whispered.

Cole brought Stella’s purse back to her and handed it to her. As she took it, he asked her a question. “Who are you running from?”

The question caught Stella by surprise. She took her purse and set it on the couch beside her. “What do you mean?” she finally asked. “I’m not running from anyone.”

“There aren’t any bags or suitcases in your truck,” Cole said. “Not even a change of clothes. Only some items you bought at a convenience store.”

In the kitchen, Jose closed the cabinets and walked over to the large freezer against the far wall. He lifted up the lid of the freezer, expecting to see pieces of wrapped meat. What he saw made him stumble back a step, the freezer lid slammed shut with a thump.

The others turned at the noise of the lid closing.

Jose turned and looked at them with shock in his eyes. “You guys better come take a look at this.”

CHAPTER TEN

Cole, Frank, Jose, and Trevor gathered around the freezer, it was a tight squeeze in the small kitchen. Even Needles broke out of his daze and stood up at the dining room table, staring at the others in the kitchen. But he wouldn’t enter the kitchen. “What is it?” he asked. “What’s in there?”

Nobody answered Needles. They all stared down at the freezer.

“I guess we know where Tom Gordon is now,” Cole finally said.

Stuffed inside the freezer was Tom Gordon’s body, his legs and arms bent at odd angles, like his limbs had been broken when he’d been stuffed down inside. He looked like some doll stuffed down inside a kid’s toy box. Except that this doll didn’t have any eyes – Tom Gordon’s eyes had been carved out.

No, Cole thought, they didn’t seem like they were carved out – they looked more like they were torn out of his face.

Or eaten out, his mind whispered.

“Holy shit,” Jose muttered. “Holy shit, I can’t believe this. What the fuck, man?

Stella and David still sat on the couch; David’s hands still clutched one of Stella’s hands. She looked at David and their eyes met. Stella felt a lump in her throat, a knot of dread worming its way through her body. She had promised David that it hadn’t followed them. She had promised him that it wouldn’t be able to find them. She had promised David that they would be safe now. But the look in David’s eyes stung her. He had dared to believe her. But now he knew the truth. It had found them.

Needles hurried over to the kitchen, rushing up behind the others. “What did you find in there?” he asked, his voice trembling.

Jose turned and marched away from the freezer, needing to pace, needing to move, needing to be away from the gory sight of Tom Gordon’s body.

Needles walked to the freezer on unsteady legs. He took Jose’s spot. He stared down at the body and inhaled a sharp breath, and then it was like he couldn’t exhale, like the breath was caught in his lungs.

“Shit,” Frank finally said as he stared down at Tom Gordon’s crooked body. The lips of Tom Gordon’s mouth were pulled back in some kind of strange rictus smile. There were two deep black holes where his eyes used to be, ragged gray flesh around the edges. But there was no blood anywhere on his face, or anywhere around him.