Chapter Two
When Friday afternoon came, Hallie was back in Graham Reynolds house, having disappeared from her friends, claiming that she had to do some house cleaning for her mother. She took the route through the woods, climbed the fence and hiked through the field past the remnants of the shed and knocked on the back door.
Once Graham showed her into his parlor, she was surprised to see it not so dour as it had been in the dark of night. Now, the well-lit room looked nothing like it had the first time she’d seen it. But, she was stopped short of enjoying the visit when she spotted a long, flat, wooden paddle lying on Graham’s desk. Before she could back away, Graham had the thing in his hand.
“I don’t think we need to waste any time,” he said directly. “It won’t take long if y
