Annie did not say anything to any of her friends, convincing herself that Marco's phone call was merely meant to frighten her. She allowed Alder to stay with Ellen and she went about her daily routines as if it never happened. He was on probation, after all, she reminded herself. There was no way he could leave the state of California. Her initial reaction had been ridiculous. On Sunday night, she was in Riversong's kitchen prepping for the special, a blackberry reduction over grilled salmon, when she heard the phone ringing from the front of the restaurant. She called out to Lee but there was no answer, so she wiped her hands on her apron and answered the phone that hung on the wall near the walk-in cooler. “Riversong, this is Annie.” Linus had taught them to always give their names when they answered. “Annie. It's me.” Marco. “I'm here. Did you miss me?” His voice was singsong, almost playful. Like a cat playing with a mouse. “What do you want?” she whispered. “You know what I want.
