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Besides, it was better Renee remained oblivious of her situation. She had one more year of high school to finish, and Marie would do everything in her power to make sure Renee had a chance of a better future. One filled with college and crushes and dreams—not heartbreak and regret and an obligation to take care of everyone but herself.
The time had come for Marie to tell Renee what had happened. At least enough to put her on alert. “I’m sorry I haven’t gotten a hold of you. It’s been…difficult. But you need to know what’s happened. I need to know you and Mom are safe.”
“What do you mean? What’s going on?”
She sucked in a deep breath. Best to dive right in. “Bill’s gotten himself into some trouble.”
Renee snorted. “Big surprise. I don’t know why you’re with that loser.”
Marie cringed at the nasty edge to her sister’s voice. She hadn’t told Renee about the trouble their mother had gotten into, and how Marie’s leaving town with Bill was the only way to protect them all. The seven-year age gap, not to mention her mother’s instability and father’s non-existence in their lives, made Marie more of a parent figure to Renee than a sister sometimes. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“You always have a choice.”
Marie smiled. Renee’s wisdom never ceased to amaze her, even if she was a bit naïve. “Not this time, but that’s not the point. Bill’s on the run, and I’m worried he’ll head back home. If he does, there’s no telling what he’ll do. I need you to make sure the doors are always locked, and Mom doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“Has anyone ever stopped Mom from making dumb decisions?”
“How has she been since I left?” The idea of Renee being alone with their mom was a hard pill to swallow, but Renee could take care of herself for the most part. Even if their mom had a history of drug use, it was better for Renee to have their mom home than in jail…or worse, dead. Her mom had promised to clean up her act after she narrowly avoided jail time and was put on probation.
“Actually, pretty decent. I really think she’s going to stay clean this time.”
Relief loosened the knot of anxiety taking up residence in the pit of her stomach…but only a fraction. “Good to hear.”
Creak
Marie straightened and leaned toward the doorway, glancing down the hall. Lewis hadn’t emerged from his room. The noise must have been the old house shifting.
A tiny thud sounded behind her, and she jumped to her feet. “Renee, I got to go.”
“But—”
“I’ll call soon.” Marie hung up and raised the phone in the air. She tiptoed toward the family room, searching for either the source of the noise or a better weapon than a stupid phone.
Meow
A black cat circled around the leg of the table, wrapping its tail along the wood. Marie let out a shaky breath and set down the phone on the table. She bent low on her heels and held out her hand, letting the cat ram its pink nose against the tips of her fingers. “You silly thing. You scared me half to death.” She scooped the cat into her arms and nuzzled her close, reveling in the soft fur against her skin.
A harsh cackle alerted her to someone else’s presence, and she glanced over her shoulder into Bill’s hateful brown eyes. “Get off the floor. You’re coming with me.”
The call of crickets sang from between the towering trees. The outline of the Smoky Mountains loomed in the distance. Flies buzzed around Owen’s head, no doubt attracted by the stench of sweat collecting under his shirt. The sun beat down from the cloudless sky, causing heat waves to shimmer above the black asphalt on the country road.
Two patrol cars parked on the side of the street, and he rounded them to find Tommy, his dad, and Deputy Stacey Clowman crouched low with their gazes focused on the ground beside the abandoned red truck.
“What do you got?” He narrowed his gaze but couldn’t make out what held their attention from his vantage point.
All three stood and faced him.
“Second set of tread marks. Thanks to the rain from yesterday, it’s easy to see the other tire tracks.” Mike sunk back to his spot beside the truck and trailed his index finger along the ground. “Second set is smaller. Probably a sedan of some kind. Came off the road beside the truck, pulled out the way it came in.”
Owen drew closer to his dad and studied the marks. He had little doubt his father was wrong, but he’d need to call in the crime scene unit to run the treads. Maybe they’d get more specific information on what type of tires to look for, even if they weren’t yet sure what car Bill had now—or who he was with. “Have you looked inside the truck?”
Stacey nodded and secured her sunglasses on her pert nose. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a stubby ponytail. “I checked the registration in the glovebox. Everything I found was in Bill Flanders’ name.”
Owen peered inside the half-open window. “Don’t see a lot of blood.”
“No, sir. Either the guy got patched up, or his injury wasn’t that serious.” Stacey retrieved a pair of rubber gloves from her front pocket and handed them to Owen. “Might be a bit small, but they’ll work.”
“Thanks, and good find. We’ll take it from here.”
