"I could be your alibi." She smiled and brightened, then winked conspiratorially. "You could say we were just making out if anyone gives you trouble."

Ben looked away for a second and she saw a smile start on his face. He was blushing worse than ever.

"Okay. If you want to." He put his hands into his jacket pockets. "You need to change first, or anything?"

"Yeah, gimme just a sec." She slid into her apartment and shimmied out of her skirt as she walked toward her bedroom. There was a nice dark pair of jeans and a sweater that would be perfect for sneaking around in the woods. By the time she'd changed her clothes, she was actually looking forward to the trip more than she had expected.

It was the risk. That was the conclusion she came to. It was the risk that made it so damned exciting with the priests, and it was the thrill of being mischievous that had her heading into the woods with a man she barely knew, all so she could watch him commit a crime.

Too many years of playing it safe and working hard had made her a thrill junkie. She hoped it was temporary insanity, because she didn't need the complications in her life.

But that was okay, too. Now and then everyone needed to have a little fun.

Later, she'd have reason to doubt the wisdom of those words.

Chapter 5.

I.

Kelli Entwhistle slumped on the front porch and rubbed at her temples. The night had gone on and on, but at least the crisis seemed to be over.

Of course, the eight hours at the hospital and the numerous tests hadn't told them a damned thing. They would probably have kept Teddy, too, but Bill was having none of it and Michelle was furious that they'd failed to uncover anything.

The Listers were inside now, tucking in their son. His color was better at least, but he still seemed listless. The plan was for Kelli to take him to a specialist the next day, one of the family doctors who had known Teddy since he was born and could, presumably, find out answers with more ease.

Kelli was scared for him. Thinking about his situation made her stomach want to knot up, and made her want to puke her guts out. He was such a sweet kid. Her cousin Amy had been a sweet kid, too, and had always been so energetic. Right up until the time she suddenly couldn't keep any food down.

By the time the doctors discovered the stomach cancer, it was too late. Kelli had watched the girl who was almost like a sister to her waste away in a matter of months. The idea of that happening to Teddy was enough to wrench her heart out of place.

"Kids shouldn't get sick. It ought to be a law." She was talking to herself, of course.

So she almost had a coronary on the spot when she got a response. "I agree. I was just coming over to see how your little friend was doing."

Jason Soulis stood in front of her, dressed in a dark gray suit and a heavy black overcoat. He was either just going out for an evening or just coming back, she had no idea which.

"Oh, shit." She clutched at her chest and felt her heart beating. That was good, because he'd scared the life out of her. "I didn't see you come up." She laughed lightly.

He lowered his head and raised it again, a slight bow of apology. His eyes never left hers. "I certainly meant no harm. Forgive me."

"Oh, no, please. That's just me freaking out a bit."

"You've had a long day; I did not mean to make it longer." He took a step back and did a more formal bow. She got the impression the man could have managed to look just as polite and proper if he were carrying a bucket of pig slop in each hand. He was just that smooth. "I hope all is well with your friend."

As he started down the stairs she realized she didn't want him to leave. He was interesting, and obviously a nice man. "We don't know yet."

Soulis stopped and looked back at her. His face was half submerged in shadows, making him look slightly gaunt as the darkness caressed his features. "They have no diagnosis as yet?"

"No. They took all sorts of tests, but they couldn't figure out what was wrong. His blood pressure is doing strange things and he is too tired, but they didn't find anything that should have made him sick."

"You must be patient. Sometimes the mysteries of the body hide themselves. The doctors will undoubtedly find the problem given a little more time."

Yes, he talked with an accent, but it was faint, and she could have listened to him speak for hours. She shook the thought away and smiled for his benefit. Amy's death had long since crushed her faith in doctors and modern medicine.

"Have a good night. I will keep your friend in my thoughts." Jason turned and walked away, his steps as graceful as a dancer's. He was gone before she remembered to say good night herself.

A few minutes later, Bill came out to the porch and snuck one of his rare cigarettes. He only smoked when he'd had a particularly bad day. This one qualified.

He sat down near her on the wooden bench, and sighed. "Did I mention you're a lifesaver, Kelli?"

She smiled and nodded. "About ten times, but don't stop on my account."

"Teddy's a good kid. And he's lucky-he has a good home and a super nanny to watch over him." His voice sounded a little lost. She could hear guilt riding along with the compliments.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Bill. You work yourself half to death and I know you do it to make sure Teddy has a good future." She knew no such thing, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

Bill inhaled deeply and held the smoke in his lungs, savoring it before he exhaled. "Teddy's future is all taken care of, Kelli. He'll never want for anything, at least not financially."

"So why do you work so hard, then?"

He looked her way and she couldn't help but notice that his eyes lingered for a few seconds in places where married men should not let their attention stray. "I like to stay busy, and I like to take on new challenges."

She opted not to take any possible innuendoes to heart. Her fantasies were just that, and not something she ever intended to act on.

"Well, I guess I better go hit the books." Kelli stood up and rolled her head a few times, getting the blood flow back into her tense muscles.

"Have a good night, Kelli. Thanks again." Bill stood up and put a companionable arm around her shoulders, giving her a half hug. He kissed the top of her head and then let her pass.

"Nothing to thank me for, Bill. Sweet dreams."

She left him out in the deepening cold of the night, and went up to her bedroom, across from Teddy's. Michelle Lister was still in the room looking down on her sleeping son. She had a few lines from crying on her face, but Kelli didn't look for long or offer any sort of comfort. Michelle was a very private woman, and she knew the lady would prefer to be by herself with her sleeping child.

There was surprisingly little traffic on Cliff Walk. Normally, even in the dead of winter, she could expect to see a few cars traveling up and down the long stretch of road. Kelli stared at the road and the house across the street for several minutes, her mind wandering from her employer on the porch to the man who had just recently come to town.

She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep still fully clothed and far too tired to care about the discomfort of wearing her jeans to slumber land.

Across the street, Jason watched her from the shadows of an oak tree. He barely moved until the moon had risen into the sky.

II.

Brian Freemont drove like a madman, desperate to get back to his house and the phone call he knew he had to expect. He'd had more than enough of his mystery caller and the threats the man had delivered. He wanted the situation resolved.

"I just want my life back. That's all. Please, God, let me have my life back."

His stomach seethed with tension. Angie was at home and he dreaded the idea that she would answer that particular phone call. If she did, she could make his life a living hell. He didn't like the idea of a divorce, and he liked the idea of child support even less.

Sometimes, when he was halfway to sleep, he looked back and wondered if he had ever loved Angie. He thought so. These days she was too high maintenance and her moods were pissing him off to the point that he didn't fucking care what happened to her.

That was a lie. He did care, he just didn't know if he cared as much as he should. She was a good woman, one of the best he'd ever known, but her mood swings and weight gain were taxing his patience.

Mostly, these days, he was worried about what was going to happen if he didn't get this all worked out. Everything he had was gone; all of the money in his accounts, except for his last paycheck. He knew, because he'd looked all of the accounts over online earlier in the day. It wasn't that the money had been taken. Instead it was as if the money had never existed. Even his transaction records were screwed up beyond all repair. If this wasn't fixed to the bastard on the phone's satisfaction, his whole world was going to fall apart.

He wanted that fucker dead.

He wanted to make the son of a bitch scream and die and bleed.

But mostly he wanted his life back.

The clock on the dashboard told him he still had five minutes to get home. He parked as calmly as he could and climbed from the car. His hands were doing their best to clench into fists and he made himself calm down a bit. Angie didn't need to see him like this.

He opened the door to his house and smiled as he walked in, ready to put on a cheery face for his wife. He needn't have bothered. She was already in a bad mood.

Angie Freemont sat on the couch, the TV playing the last of the nightly news, and stared daggers at Brian.

"Angie? What's wrong?"

Her voice was hoarse and tense. "You want to tell me why the bank called four times today, Brian?"

"What did they call about, honey?"

"About the fact that we have no money, and seven checks have bounced since this morning. How's that for a starter?"

Brian felt his stomach fall a few stories and took a deep breath. "I can explain that."

"Good! Because I'm sick to death of this shit, Brian!"

"It was a mistake, I already talked to the bank and everything should be fine in the morning. Something about a hacker trying to steal from a bunch of accounts." This was closer to the truth than he liked to think about, but it made the lie easier.

She opened her mouth to speak and the phone rang. The idea of his wife grabbing the phone to speak to the man blackmailing him for screwing college trim on the side sent Brian Freemont leaping across the room. The end table with the phone was next to Angie's right hand. He knocked her arm out of the way as he grabbed the receiver.

"Hello?" Angie shot him a murderous glance and he in turn looked as apologetic as he could.

"Officer Freemont?"

"Yes, this is me."

"One second." He could hear the man moving through the underbrush. "How many boxes did you put out here?"

"Four. They should all be together." This was the moment he needed to worry about the most. He chewed on his lip and did his best not to sound too stressed.

Everything depended on the caller taking the boxes with him.

"I see four boxes; we're off to a good start here, Officer. Hold on for me."

"Of course." Angie was standing now, her face set into an ugly expression of hatred and disappointment. Brian felt like a slug. He was responsible for everything and he knew it, but he was also trying to make it all right again. If she would let him, and the little bastard would take the bait.

"I have the packages. If everything checks out, you will have your life back in two hours."

"I understand, thank you."

"Officer? Do I have to explain what will happen if you try to pull a fast one?"

"No, of course not."

"Have a good night."

Brian hung up the phone and looked at Angie. "That was the bank. Everything is settled."

"Seriously?" She smiled a tentative, nervous little smile. Her face was suddenly beautiful again.

"Yeah, babe. Seriously, it's all taken care of." He moved to her and she hugged him tightly, awkwardly shifting a bit to protect their unborn child. That thought suddenly filled him with wonder. He had a child coming into the world. A new life that was forming in the belly of the woman he'd married and promised to love, honor, and respect.

Something had to change. He knew that. He just didn't want it to. He liked his secret life, and he liked the power to screw with girls' minds and leave them worrying.

He didn't want to give that up.

So, of course, he had made proper provisions.

For the next hour or so, he was going to stay home. Then he would go back to the car and find his little Radio Shack tracking device, the one he'd slipped into the cardboard box that was probably being carried away right now.

And then he would make good and damned sure that someone never messed with him again.

Angie kissed his mouth and he kissed back, remembering all the reasons that he loved her. She was sore and pregnant, and she still wanted him.

Really, that was all he'd ever wanted out of life, to be needed. And if he was getting a little on the side, it was just gravy.

They made love, carefully, but they made love. This was different. Angie was special. She wasn't like the girls he spent time with. She didn't cry when it was happening, or when it was over.

III.

Avery Tripp slipped out of the house as carefully as he could. The folks were still busy "talking," which made it a little easier. Talking was what they called it whenever they needed down time and decided to close the bedroom door. He had no idea what they were up to, but it left Dad in a good mood, so it couldn't be a bad thing.

The yard was dark, but the lawn was so precisely mowed it could have been done by the barber that handled his crew cut, so he wasn't worried. Besides, he knew the way to Teddy's place like the back of his hand.

Teddy left school early and he hated when that happened. His best friend was his main reason for going to school in the first place. Okay, and because his folks would boil him in oil if he didn't. But mainly it was because Teddy was there and he was cool to hang around with.

The road was well-lit and the lawns on either side of him offered exactly enough bushes-because the people here liked their privacy-to let him move toward the Lister place without any fear of being discovered.

He saw the crows looking down at him and stopped in his tracks. They were everywhere, great skulking black shadows that moved and from time to time chattered softly to each other.

Mostly they just looked at him. Avery looked back, smiling at the gathering. What was it Dad said they were called when they were all together like that? "A murder of crows," he said, savoring the title. He liked the sound of that.

The birds didn't intimidate him; they were just birds. So Avery started down the way again, listening for cars and minding his own business. Jayce Thornton was playing havoc with his thoughts lately. She was cute. He liked her. He also knew that if she spoke to him, he would explode into flames.