Page 116 of Trick or Stalk

“Who is she?”

“No one.”

“You just said she.”

“There's a woman in the book.”

“Bullshit.”

I keep reading.

Wilder leans closer. “You met someone.”

“No.”

“You absolutely met someone.”

“Fuck off.”

“Is that where you've been going?”

I look at him.

He laughs. “Walking around the woods like a serial killer creeping on a woman.”

My jaw tightens.

If he only knew.

“Go to bed, Wilder.”

“It's nine-thirty.”

“Then find something else to do.”

He studies me for several seconds. “Does she know you exist?”

I ignore him.

Eventually, the couch shifts as he stands. “What's her name?”

I look up.

He grins. “Those dog treats were for her dog, weren’t they? Not some stray like you claimed.”

“Good night, Wilder.”

“Just give me a first name.”

“No, asshole. Now go to bed.”

His laughter follows him as he disappears down the hall.

I return to the book, but I can’t concentrate.

All I can see is Presley staring at the woods.

And the mask on her television screen.