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The Best of Me(48)

By:Nicholas Sparks




Dawson set the wrench aside and closed the hood, finished with the engine. Ever since Amanda left, he’d been unable to shake the sensation of being watched. The first time it had happened, he’d gripped the wrench hard as he’d peeked out around the hood, but there was no one there.

Now, walking to the entrance of the garage, he scanned the area, taking in the scene. He saw the oaks and pines with kudzu climbing their trunks and noticed that the shadows had begun to lengthen. A hawk passed overhead, its outline flickering across the drive, and starlings called from the branches above. All else was quiet in the early summer heat.

But someone was watching him. Someone was out there, he was sure of it, and he flashed on an image of the shotgun he had buried beneath the oak tree near the corner of the house all those years ago—not deep, maybe a foot down, wrapped in oilcloth and sealed from the elements. Tuck had guns in the house, too, probably under his bed, but Dawson wasn’t sure they were warranted. There was nothing out here as far as he could tell, but in that instant a blur of movement flashed near a clump of trees on the far side of the drive.

When he tried to zero in on it, though, he saw nothing. He blinked, waiting for more and trying to decide whether it had been his imagination, when the hairs on the back of his neck slowly began to rise.



Ted moved cautiously, knowing that rushing in would be foolish. He suddenly wished he’d brought Abee along. Would have been good to have Abee close in from another direction. But at least Dawson was still up there, unless he’d decided to walk out of the place. Ted would have heard the car start up.

He wondered where Dawson was exactly. House or garage, or somewhere outside? He hoped he wasn’t inside; hard to get up to the house without being noticed. Tuck’s place was set in a small clearing, with the creek out back, but there were windows on all sides and Dawson might see him approach. In that case, it might be better if he hung back and waited until Dawson finally came out. Problem with that was Dawson could go out the front or the back, and Ted couldn’t be in two places at once.

What he really needed to do was cause a distraction. That way, when Dawson came out to investigate, he could wait until Dawson was close enough before pulling the trigger. He felt confident with the Glock up to about thirty feet.

What kind of distraction, though? That was the question.

He crept forward, avoiding the loose piles of rocks spreading out in front of him; this whole area of the county had marlstone everywhere. Simple but effective. Toss a few, maybe even clank one off the car or break a window. Dawson would come outside to check it out and Ted would be waiting.

He grabbed a handful of marlstone and shoved it in his pocket.



Dawson quietly made his way to the spot where he’d seen the movement, replaying the hallucinations he’d experienced since the explosion on the platform, thinking it all felt too familiar. He reached the edge of the clearing and peered into the woods, trying to calm the racing of his heart.

He stopped, hearing the starlings chirp, a hundred of them calling from the trees. Thousands, maybe. As a kid, he’d always been fascinated by the swarmlike way they would break from the trees when he clapped, as though they were tethered together. They were calling now, calling for something.

A warning?

He didn’t know. Beyond him, the forest was a living thing; the air was briny and thick with the scent of rotting wood. Branches of low-slung oaks crawled along the ground before reaching to the sky. Kudzu and Spanish moss obscured the world less than a few feet away.

From the corner of his eye, he saw movement again and turned quickly, his breath catching in his chest as a dark-haired man in a blue windbreaker stepped behind a tree. Dawson could hear the sound of his own thudding heartbeat in his ears. No, he thought, it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real, and he knew he was seeing things.

But pushing aside the branches, he followed the man deeper into the woods.



Getting close now, Ted thought. Through the foliage, he spotted the top of the chimney and he bent over, stepping carefully. No noise, no sounds. That was the key to hunting, and Ted had always been good at it.

Man or animal, it was all the same if the hunter was skilled enough.



Dawson pushed through the undergrowth, veering around trees. He was breathing hard as he tried to close the distance. Afraid to stop but growing more frightened with every passing step.

He reached the spot where he’d seen the dark-haired man and kept going, searching for any sign of him. Sweat poured off him, slicking his shirt to his back. He resisted the sudden urge to call out, wondering whether he could if he tried. His throat was like sandpaper.