CHAPTER 39
BY THE TIME they returned to the Newcombe house, Nate was feeling the ragged end of a very long day. The sky had closed in with an inky heaviness, staining his mood and draining his energy. He was exhausted, but he felt the weight of responsibility settling onto his shoulders and knew there was work yet to be done before he could rest. He worried about Sammi and Marilyn, tortured by the thought that they might be holed up somewhere like this, with a pedophile. He tried calling again, but got nowhere. He spent some time fooling with the radio before he followed Riley into the Newcombe house.
The neighbors were still assembled, candles lit against the darkness, conversing in muted tones, fretful and reluctant to leave the comfort of each other’s company. Nate had several concern
