17
The hushed, muttering voices followed Alice along the sidewalk into the General Store. Or maybe she was just imagining it. She grabbed a six-pack of Greek yogurt from a refrigerator. She slipped it in her cart, alongside a pack of macadamias, a bag of red apples, and a jar of peanut butter. A box of herbal teabags came next. Along with a wide roll of white wrapping paper, red and black markers and a small plastic case full of wall pins.
Alice was examining the dark chocolate bars when she felt a presence at the end of the aisle. She half-turned. A tall, broad man in a black baseball cap and jacket stood with a basket in hand. He wore the collars of a dark polo shirt upturned, as if conspiring to hide his own face. Alice saw black combat boots, heavy stubble, and a six-pack of beer in
