When Josef spotted her he was instantly worried. There was something off about her that he couldn’t put his finger on. Veronica looked confused and perhaps even upset. He walked up to her slowly so as to not alarm her. It was funny. He had the same look about him that a horse trainer has when he’s afraid of spooking said horse. Josef wanted to be a source of comfort, not distress.
“Veronica?” He called out, but she didn’t seem to connect the name with herself. It was strange. Josef got close to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”
It occurred to him that this might have been the stump screwing around with them again. He didn’t yet know how bad it was or even what it was, but it had to be the stump’s antics all over again. Josef was so sick of being jerked around that he could have punched a wall. For the moment, though, he would deal with Veronica first.