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Lena stumbled back, bile rising in her throat. She knew she had to call the police. She reached for her phone but stopped when she heard footsteps approaching. She turned her head with a loud gasp, looked behind her, and saw the old woman who fed the cats standing there. She was standing there on her skinny legs, staring at Lena, her eyes looking at her from inside a weathered face. They locked eyes briefly, and Lena saw a strange glint in the old woman's eyes. It terrified her to the core. Lena gasped and pulled back. She knew the woman was crazy. Would she harm her? Lena feared for a second she would, but it didn't happen. Instead,the old woman turned and walked away, her feet shuffling along the concrete floor.
Lena's heart raced as she dialed 9-1-1 and put the phone to her ear.
Chapter18
As I stood at the stove, the smell of sizzling bacon filling the air, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in my family. Two of my children, Alex and Christine, came bouncing down the stairs, their energy filling the room—well, Alex's at least. Christine had that teenage air about her that signaled that no one should try to talk to her until later in the day. My oldest, Olivia, was a senior and didn't have to get to school until later, so she was still sleeping. She had previously told me that she believed she was non-binary, but now she was back to being a she and a her again and had announced that she was a lesbian instead. I told her I didn't care if she was a purple dinosaur as long as she was happy.
Alex and Christine sat at the kitchen counter, Alex drumming his fingers on the granite surface and eagerly surveying the scene. Christine glanced up briefly from her phone before returning to it with a single-minded focus. Moments later, Matt's son Elijah stumbled down the stairs, rubbing sleep from his eyes and immediately reaching for his phone. Alex was soon hunched over a plate of eggs and bacon with a fork in hand. His eyes were wide with anticipation while Christine swiped across her phone’s screen with one hand.
I served Christine a pancake, and she wrinkled her nose.
"Do you want bacon and eggs instead?" I asked. "You usually prefer pancakes."
She scoffed. "Don't you have any fruit?"
I lifted my eyebrows. "For once, I make you pancakes, and now you don't want them? I'm trying to be a good mom here."
She groaned. "A good mom would serve me something healthy."
Oh, dear, here we go.
"Grandma always serves us vegan pancakes and gluten-free stuff."
"Oh, does she, now?" I said, walking to the fridge, taking out an apple, then placing it on her plate. "Here you go."
She made a face.
Matt descended the stairs with one shirt button still undone, humming a tune, and warmth spread through me as I looked at him. He smiled at me, and I asked, "Pancake, dear?" He leaned down to kiss my forehead softly before replying, "Don't mind if I do."
I grabbed a pan from the countertop and flipped a golden pancake onto a plate for him. He devoured it in delight. When Alex had finished his bacon and eggs, he requested a pancake. As I placed it in front of him, he paused and looked up into my eyes, his expression taking on a concerned intensity.
"Mom, have you found Thomas's mom yet?" he asked, his eyes wide with concern. "He must really miss her."
My heart dropped, seeing this worry in him. I knew he loved Thomas dearly. He was his best friend.I turned to face him, my hand still flipping the bacon in the pan. "No, not yet," I replied. "But I'm working on it."
Alex's face softened with understanding. "I know you can do it, Mom, " he said, his voice filled with confidence. "If anyone can, it's you."
A warm wave of emotion flooded my heart. I looked at each of them, especially Alex, with his trusting eyes and bright smile, and was filled with a sense of power. Everything I did was for them, and it gave me the strength to take on anything.
My lips curved, and my chin dipped as I kissed him on top of his head. I could see the bright yellow school bus through the window, already stopped at the neighbor's house. The children were outside, running and shouting, their backpacks bouncing against their backs.
"You have to go! Quickly, grab your bag and lunch!" I said, gently pushing him out the door.
"Bye, Mommy,” he yelled, then stormed out the door.
I stared out the window, watching as he scrambled across the street toward the bus. The driver spotted him just in time, slowing to a stop before stretching his hand over and opening the doors for him. I let out a deep sigh of relief, pouring myself a cup of coffee and leaning back against the kitchen counter. Christine and Elijah grabbed their backpacks and hopped on their bikes while Matt retreated up the stairs. Taking out my phone from my pocket, I scrolled through my emails and saw that I had finally received some information about the woman who denied knowing Rachel but called her late at night—Elyse Winters. She lived in Jacksonville, where Rachel’s dad was serving time.
A thought raced through my head as I pondered what it all meant when suddenly, my phone started ringing. It was the chief.
"You need to get to Manatee Lane—the storage units down by the river. They found something."
Chapter19
THEN:
Emma was on her knees, scrubbing the wooden floor of her bedroom with a fervor that bordered on obsession. She had to make sure everything was perfect, down to the last detail, or else her mother would be disappointed. Emma couldn't bear the thought of her mother being disappointed in her.
As she worked, she tried to push away the nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She knew she shouldn't be biting her nails, but it was a habit she couldn't seem to break. She had tried everything from wearing bitter-tasting nail polish to snapping a rubber band on her wrist every time she caught herself nibbling, but nothing worked.
