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“Right, and the dog he’ll eventually want to get will be the one most fun to draw,” Seth added.

“With a little extra help, Sammy is going to be just fine,” she assured him, wrapping up the appointment. “I appreciate you taking the time to come in and meet with me this evening.”

“I appreciate the opportunity, and I appreciate everything you’re willing to do on Sammy’s behalf. He’s been through a lot.” Once again, he raked his hand through his shiny dark hair. “I just want what’s best for him. By the way, we haven’t talked about payment for your tutoring services.”

“I don’t charge when I’m tutoring a student of mine,” she replied.

“Are you sure? You’re giving up a lot of your time.”

“I’m positive there’s no charge, and I’m really looking forward to working with Sammy,” she replied.

Minutes later Seth left her classroom, and Suzanna returned to her chair behind the desk and gathered up her things to head home. The handsome farmer had been her last appointment, and she was just glad all the meetings were over for now. They would have another round of appointments in late January to check the students’ progress again.

It was now almost eight thirty, and thank goodness it was Friday night and she’d have the weekend to relax. With her purse slung over her shoulder and her car keys in hand, she left her classroom.

At the same time, Boone Wilder stepped out of his classroom door. Boone was a nice-looking man who taught fourth grade. His light brown hair was receding a bit, but he had beautiful hazel eyes and a great smile.

He had asked her out several times, but she’d declined each one of his invitations. She had no desire to date. Her love for the husband she had lost would sustain her for the rest of her life.

“Hey, Suzanna.” Boone greeted her with one of his wide smiles. “All done for the night?”

“I just finished up my last appointment.”

“Yeah, me, too. Why don’t I walk you out to your car?”

She looked out the front door and realized darkness had fallen. “If you don’t mind, I would appreciate it.”

“I don’t mind a bit,” he replied.

Together they stepped out into the cool mid-October night. “I can’t believe Halloween is only two weeks away,” she said as they walked toward the parking lot in the distance.

“As if we need any more goblins and monsters running around town. We already have one very real monster to worry about.” He shot her a glance that was filled with concern. “I hope you’re being very careful.”

“I’m being as careful as I can be,” she replied and fought against a shiver that threatened to walk up her back. There was a serial killer in the small town of Millsville, one who had been targeting blond-haired and blue-eyed women just like Suzanna. They reached the driver side of her car.

“You know, Suzanna, if you ever need anything or are afraid, you can always call me,” he said. “I could be over to your house within minutes.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you, Boone. I really appreciate that, and I also appreciate you walking me out. Now, I’m ready to get home and relax, so I’ll just say good-night and I’ll see you Monday morning.”

“Good night, Suzanna,” he replied. “Have a good weekend.”

She slid in behind her steering wheel and started up the car as Boone walked off in a different direction, presumably to his own car.

As she headed home, she thought about the killer who had been terrorizing the town for several months now. Dubbed the Scarecrow Killer by the local paper, the killer stabbed his victims to death and then dressed them up like scarecrows. Even more horrifying was the fact that he sewed their mouths closed and took their eyeballs.

So far there had been three victims. Suzanna was the killer’s type, and so she’d been especially careful about her safety and going out anywhere after dark.

Home for Suzanna was a three-bedroom ranch house surrounded by fields. She and Davy had bought the place with its acreage soon after they got married. It was their plan that she would continue teaching and Davy would farm the land.

The house had been in good condition, but some of the outbuildings needed some tender loving care. One of those buildings was the freestanding garage, which listed badly to the left and was unusable. Eventually she hoped to have a new one built, but in the meantime, she made the circle that would bring her close to her front door.

She cut the engine, gathered her things and then, with her keys once again in hand, she got out of the car and headed inside.

She walked through the living room and into the large airy kitchen, where she placed her notebooks and purse on the wooden table. She then went back into the living room, kicked off her shoes and sank down in the corner of the dark brown sofa.

She was far too wired up to go straight to bed, and so she turned on the television. However, she found it difficult to concentrate on the sitcom as her head whirled with thoughts of the night that had passed.

There was no question that talk about the Scarecrow Killer filled her with a deep uneasiness. She was positive every other woman in Millsville felt the same way. While the killer was focused on blondes with blue eyes at the moment, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t start killing brunettes next.