i went in the direction of his bush . there was no fresh night soil , but i noticed that there was a circular hole in the ground next to the bush . around a meter in diameter , it was big enough for a human body to slide in . his footprints in the mud ended at the entrance of the hole

they 'd passed similar ones in the sparse , affluent neighborhood , all built with arizona stone . most of them were carefully designed to blend into the surroundings and yet still offer up a feeling of space and laid-back wealth with their palatial arches , pillared columns , fancy pond-like pools and cool flag-stoned flooring running from outside to inside . the roe 's were renting this place while they were out in arizona

had she imagined the sound ? thump ! she shot up , peering over the cubicle walls , scanning the room , trying to identify the source of the mystery sound . her gaze landed on the windows . she saw a big black bird falling away from where it had struck the glass . it left a mark , a dark blotch , on the window

i would n't be so raw with emotion and loss . i could handle this tomorrow if i had noah tonight . i started running again , the world a smear of gray rain across gray sand and ocean . the green of the grove had ended . another pang hit me . our sandcastle was gone . i could see it crumbling under the incessant pounding of rain , melting back into the
beach