She circled the fire pit, her eyes on the ground. "He eats here. Sleeps here. Plans here."
She stopped.
''But he's not here now."
Alex looked around. The clearing was empty. The trees pressed close, their branches whispering in the wind.
"He knows we're in town," Saeko continued. "He's gone deeper into the woods. He'll wait until we leave. Or until we make a mistake."
"Then we wait."
"No." She shook her head. "He's too patient. He can outwait us. We need to force him to move."
"How?"
She was quiet for a moment. Then she pointed to a cluster of trees at the edge of the clearing. "There. The branches are broken. He went that way."
She walked toward the trees. Alex followed.
The woods grew denser. The path became narrower, the branches lower. Saeko moved without hesitation, her eyes always on the ground, the trees, the shadows.
She found another campsite. Smaller. Newer. The ashes were still warm.
"We missed him," she said. "By hours. Maybe less."
"He's running."
