Act I The carnival was too bright for anyone to believe something terrible could happen there. Red-and-yellow food stalls lined the fairground. Children ran past game booths with stuffed prizes hanging overhead. A…

Act I The dog did not go for the man’s throat. It did not go for his legs, his face, or the towel draped over his shoulder. It went for the keys. In…

Act I The man in the gray suit came running across the grass like the whole world belonged to him. His jacket flapped behind him. His polished shoes tore through the manicured lawn….

Act I The first kick sent the little dog skidding across the gravel. She yelped once, then curled herself into the dirt beside the dumpster, tan-and-white body trembling, ears flat, eyes locked on…

Act I The dog appeared just before the vows. At first, everyone thought he was part of the charm. A medium-sized brown dog with a black muzzle wandered onto the stone aisle beneath…

Act I Buddy sat exactly where he had been told. The rain began as a mist, soft enough to disappear on the concrete, then slowly became a steady gray curtain over the hospital…

Act I The Golden Retriever would not let go. His teeth were locked around the sleeve of Noah’s bright blue winter parka, pulling with such frantic force that the little boy slid backward…

Act I The dog came out of the fog like a warning the forest had been trying to give for miles. Maya Bennett saw only a blur at first. Golden-brown fur. Wet ears….

Act I The wine fell slowly enough for everyone to understand it was deliberate. A dark red stream spilled from the crystal glass, sliding over Elena Marlowe’s hair, down her forehead, along her…