When Rick pulled into the driveway of the Big House, he spotted the black SUV immediately. Alex. Tension creeping up his back, he parked behind the SUV and helped Tracker to the ground. The dog moved toward a patch of woods and hiked his leg. Marking his turf. “I hear ya, buddy.” He climbed the steps and found the front door open. All these months of living here and he’d never changed the locks. Alex remembered his mother had always hidden a key in the side shed. Through the front door, Rick shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the banister as he tossed his keys in a dish he kept on a small table by the front door. After the interview with Jenna today, he was loaded for bear and looking for a fight. Maybe it was time he and Alex cleared the air once and for all. Alex sat in the kitchen at the new counter Rick had built. He’d loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. His hair stood on end as if he’d run his fingers through several times and he held a long-neck beer in his hand.
