CHAPTER THIRTY
July 6, 2010
Evening
Smoke scraped Calvin’s lungs, and he coughed as he shouted for help. There was no time.
Whoever had planted this false garden knew the perfect lure for Cleo. A few hours ago, none of these flowers had been here. Calvin grabbed a large sunflower, and it pulled free of the earth with no resistance. No roots. The tip bore a slanted cut like the clean edge from a florist.
The flowers spread wide near the porch, then condensed into a river of flickering color as they approached the trees. The petals glowed wickedly in the fire bird’s light.
Cleo’s feet had left just a few crush marks in the tall grass by the porch before larger boot marks replaced them. This was where Hawke had snatched her. He’d used the flowers to get her outside.
Hawke must have sho
