Erik searched the entire yard, the house, the SUV and the car, and even the basement, but Faith was nowhere to be found. He stood at the edge of the woods and looked into the pitch darkness towards the narrow trail that had lured Todd in. He called for the cat, but with no luck. Not even the smell of a freshly baked chicken could tempt her back.
He could almost hear a voice calling him, beckoning him into the darkness.
“Erik,” Vickie called from the patio. “You’re not going into the woods to look for that cat are you?”
“I guess not…. I just can’t imagine where she might be.”
“Well, you might as well come back inside. There isn’t much we can do tonight. And I wouldn’t even go into those woods alone in the daylight.”
“Maybe I can get Johnny Dovecrest to help me look for her tomorrow,” he said, turning back toward the house. “I sure hope she’s all right.”
“So do I,” Vickie said.