The Shadows: A Novel

In the present, the next morning, Paul Adams meets with Officer Owen Holder to examine the three smears, which look like blood, on his front door. Holder dismisses them as a likely prank but photographs them at Paul’s insistence.

Later, as Paul cleans the door, he feels watched from the adjacent woods, known as “the Shadows.” From a window, he spots a figure crouching in the woods. Paul sneaks out and approaches the location, finding only flattened undergrowth. He calls out, then calls Charlie’s name. A man appears, wearing a tattered army jacket, standing with his back to Paul. He stays still for a moment, then vanishes deeper into the woods, leaving Paul unsettled.

Amanda arrives in Gritten to interview Billy Roberts. She gets no response at his door but hears a phone ringing and feels someone is home. Looking through the mail slot, she sees red footprints on the carpet. Finding the door unlocked, Amanda enters and discovers Billy Roberts murdered on a blood-soaked couch. After calling for assistance and securing the scene, she follows the bloody footprints out the back door, but the trail disappears at the tree line. She is sure that the killer was still in the house when she knocked.