Grace pushed the door open keeping one arm around Alex to help steady her. "Oh for heaven's sake Reggie it's just us."

Reggie let out a little whine as he sniffed them. Assured that they were alright, he followed as they headed back towards the family room. Grace got Alex settled on the couch. Reggie paced back and forth a few times and then settled himself between the sliding glass door and the sofa, where Alex lay moaning.

Grace went back into the foyer to hang up their coats. Remembering to call Michael, she reached into her purse to grab her phone and accidentally hit a stack of mail on the hall table, knocking several of the envelopes onto the floor.

"Oh no," she muttered bending down to pick them up. Starting to stand her eyes caught a glimpse of the photo envelope stuck behind the table leg where it landed days earlier. She reached over and dislodged it, bringing it with her as she got to her feet.

Just then Alex called out. Running back into the family room, Grace set her phone and the pictures on the kitchen table as she passed by. Alex was up and rushing to the bathroom. When she was finished, Grace helped her back to the sofa making sure she was settled comfortably. Reggie jumped up and moved in a little closer to the couch before lying back down.

Grace sat at the kitchen table and called Michael. It was hard to communicate with the background noise from the restaurant but she was able to convey that they were home and safe. "I'll see you in a few hours," she said ending the call.

Reaching for the pictures, she opened the envelope that held the memories of that perfect Indian summer day at Agate Beach. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten all about them, but in retrospect, there had been a lot going on. She smiled again as she was taken back to that day. Michael, Jessie, Charlie, and Reggie were caught running in and out of the deep blue tide as it rushed in and churned up white foam that lapped at their feet. The pictures of Alex sitting alone on the sandy mound, with her long blond hair swept back by the sea breeze, were everything Grace thought they'd be. Now, this one I'll get blown up and framed.

Then came the silly pictures Michael had taken of Alex and her. She winced as she looked at her image holding out her hand in protest. A glint of something shiny on the hill behind them caught her eye. Looking closer, she could see it was a person but that was about all. The image was too far away. Remembering she had seen a magnifying glass on the desk in the butler's pantry, Grace went to fetch it. Coming back, she checked on Alex who had quieted and seemed to be resting comfortably.

Grace sat back down to have a closer look at the picture. Holding the magnifying glass in her other hand, she tried to zero in on the figure with the 8x spot in the upper right corner of the magnifier. She squinted as she moved it slightly until she got a good focus. Studying it closely, she realized that the glint was a pair of binoculars catching the sun's light. She could tell it was a man dressed in khaki shorts and a blue tee shirt. Her second realization hit her with the impact of a punch to her midsection.

At that moment Reggie stood up facing the sliding glass door and began to growl. His teeth were bared and his stance was threatening.

"Alex," Grace said in a quiet voice, not quite a whisper, "come here."

Just as Alex raised her head to look back at Grace, Reggie's growl became a loud aggressive bark.

In a split second, the family room was filled with shards of glass as the sliding door exploded making both Grace and Alex scream.