Act I The dog was the only one who refused to look away. People stepped around the pile of blankets on the city sidewalk as if it were a broken umbrella, an inconvenience,…

Act I The dog was sitting on the shoulder like he had been told not to move. That was what made Jack Mercer slow down. Not the suitcase. Not at first. Just the…

Act I The dog appeared where no dog should have been. At first, Mara Bell thought it was a shadow moving between the rocks. The ridge was half-swallowed by storm clouds, the wind…

Act I The dog was the only reason anyone looked toward the field. The silver sedan sat almost invisible in the tall dry grass, thirty yards off the rural highway, angled near a…

Act I The red wine hit the little girl’s dress before anyone understood what the bride had done. It splashed across the pale floral fabric in a violent burst, soaking through the front…

Act I The dog reached him before the key turned. Daniel Mercer stood beneath the little roof overhang of the grey suburban house, one hand on the deep blue front door, the other…

Act I The dog would not let go of the paper. It stood beneath the glass canopy with rain still clinging to its golden-brown fur, its front paws pressed against Mara Ellison’s gray…

Act I The dog came in like he knew exactly where he was going. The glass double doors swung open behind a tired waitress carrying a tray of coffee, and a large German…