Chapter 13: The Heart of the Beast
Mark Knepp got up from his chair and walked slowly to the pile of wood by the heavy cast-iron stove. The old white and black coonhound lying on a rug by the fire didn’t stir as Mark grabbed several more pieces of wood. The stove was already glowing red from the fire inside, but it wasn’t keeping the chill out of the house. He opened the fire door and put in the freshly split oak. Then he went into the bedroom and rummaged in the closet until he found the wool pullover sweater hanging in the back. He put it on over his Pendleton shirt and returned to his living room. He sat down in the overstuffed chair in front of the stove and scooted it closer to the heat. An old orange tabby cat walked out of the mudroom and jumped up onto Mark’s lap. It circled a cou
