Chapter 2

I decided to test whether I was just imagining things.

I quietly took out Buddy's favorite treat.

Placed it in front of him.

"Yummy, yummy. Why is Mom suddenly feeding me?"

Buddy happily wagged his tail, munching away, and I heard his thoughts again.

My heart sank.

A dog's sense of smell is far more acute than a human's.

If Buddy sensed something strange in the house, there had to be.

I recalled the home invasion murder case my husband had mentioned a few days ago.

What if, by sheer bad luck, I ran into the murderer?

I couldn't help but think of those gruesome home invasion cases.

The victims died with open eyes, and some were even more tragic, with their intestines scattered everywhere.

These cases hadn't affected me much before.

But coincidentally, our neighborhood hasn't felt safe lately, with many people's belongings going missing.

Reporting to the police yielded nothing.

Unresolved cases are like a sword hanging over my head, never allowing me to relax.