Jason flipped the suitcase shut and zipped it.

“I’m not done yet,” Lotty said. “I haven’t packed anything from the bathroom: my makeup, hair stuff, your razor, the—”

“There isn’t time,” Jason said, rolling the suitcase to the door. “Grab anything else you need and hurry downstairs.”

He put the suitcase, sleeping bags, and cooler on top of everything else, before loading the boys into their car seats. Kimberly waited with them inside the van. Lotty came back with a large folder in one hand and a bag of chicken feed in the other. Jason stared at her. “We have to bring the hens,” she said. “Their coop isn’t safe and we can’t leave them in the garage for several days.”

Jason shook his head, but loaded the bag of feed and made room for the hens. He searched the coop for Flo, but she wasn’t there.

He jogged back to the kitchen. “We need to go.”

He grabbed Lotty’s hand and pulled her toward the van. Everyone was buckled and ready to go when Lotty pulled out Aiden’s diapers and started putting one on a hen. “I do not want to clean up any more messes in this van,” she said.

“You can do that as we drive. We need to get out of here, Lotty.”

“Where’s Flo?” she asked.

Jason started backing out. “I don’t know. She wasn’t in the coop, but we don’t have time to search for her.”

“We can’t leave her.”

“I’m sorry, but we have to.” Jason drove out of the cul-de-sac. He knew Lotty was upset about the chicken, but it wasn’t worth the risk to stay any longer.

“He’s right,” Kimberly said. It was the first thing Jason had heard her say since arriving at the house. “You need to get somewhere safe as quickly as possible.”

Jason nodded. Kimberly had arrived at his office out of the blue this morning saying she had to show him something. She’d been up all night driving from Seattle, but was adamant that they go somewhere alone immediately. Even now, she said little and was visibly nervous.

Lotty handed Ty some headphones and turned on a show on a tablet. “Now, can you two please fill me in?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” Jason said, shoving a chicken off the center console.

Lotty grabbed it and put it in her lap. When had she grown so attached to those things? “Kimberly has been trying to access that site all week with no luck. Her company hacks some very high-tech stuff, but this was difficult. Finally, last night, she figured it out.” Jason rounded the lake towards town square. “Basically, what it comes down to is the site is full of jobs for people to do, but you have to be vetted by a current member to login.”

“There are jobs ranging from petty crimes to murder,” Kimberly interrupted.

“And there was one posted late last night about you.” Jason said.

“Me? Like what about me? To kill me?” Lotty swallowed. Jason put his hand on hers, but the hen she was holding squawked so he pulled back.

“Yes, if needed, but they get twice as much if they bring you in alive.” Kimberly said. Acid churned in Jason’s stomach.

“The thing is,” Jason started. “Whoever posted it is familiar with our family. The instructions are very precise. They specifically said to leave me out of it. They want you. The boys are supposed to be left alone, unless they get in the way. The instructions were grab you this afternoon when the boys are sleeping.” Jason looked at Aiden in the rearview mirror. He was laughing at the chicken sitting next to him and trying to poke it. Jason would keep his family safe. He would do whatever it took.  

“And,” Kimberly started. “It gives a typical outline of your day and where you might be at each time.” Jason thought of the detailed summary he’d read on the site and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. His hands were sweaty against the steering wheel. Whoever was behind this was close to the family or had really done their homework. They knew more about Lotty’s day than he did.

Lotty sat motionless, holding Bea tight against her. “If they know us, why don’t they just get me themselves? Why the need for the underground site?”

“I don’t know,” Kimberly said. “Maybe for the anonymity. Maybe they live far away. Who knows?”

“Did it say anything about documents? That kid who told me about the site said I needed to hand over documents.”

Kimberly shook her head. “Nothing I saw was more than a day old. They must delete any old jobs or something. This was the only one listed in the entire state of Montana,” Kimberly said.

Jason saw Lotty grab the folder she’d brought with her and start to say something, but as Kimberly unbuckled, Lotty returned it to its hiding spot between her seat and the middle console. He pulled up next to his office and Kimberly opened the door.

“You’re leaving?” Lotty asked.

Kimberly nodded. “You need to get away from here, and Jason said he didn’t know who could be trusted so I’m taking this to the police.” She held up her laptop. “Just the site, nothing about you guys running off,” she added, setting her hand on Lotty’s shoulder. "They may not be able to find the people posting these jobs, but at least they can stop the ones already posted.”

“Thank you,” Jason said. “For helping us.”

“Good luck,” she said trying to get out of the van while keeping an excited Princess Sophia inside.

Jason was anxious. He didn’t like his entire family sitting here in the middle of town in broad daylight when he knew they weren’t safe. The squawking, flailing chicken trying to fly out of their van didn’t help them appear inconspicuous. 

As soon as the door slid shut, Jason sped away. Everyone in the car was abnormally quiet, including the hens. The air was tense.

Lotty broke the silence. “I can’t even wrap my head around this. It feels like it’s all going to be a big prank someone’s playing on us.”

“Definitely not a prank,” Jason said as he pulled onto the freeway headed south. The details on that website had made the reality of the situation sink in with him immediately. 

“But who would want to kidnap me?” Lotty whispered, watching Ty out of one eye. “Or hate me enough to want me murdered?”

“I’ve thought through every person we know about two hundred times and I can’t figure it out,” Jason answered.

Lotty reached next to her seat and pulled out the folder. He raised an eyebrow. “What is that?” he asked.

“They were in the file cabinet in the attic. I was looking for our HOA agreement and saw these taped to the bottom of a drawer. They’re building permits for the neighborhood.” She pulled several papers out of the folder. “It’s strange, right? Why do we have permits for all the lots in the neighborhood? I was hoping you’d know something about them.”

Jason glanced at the papers with large, silver seals. “I’ve never seen them before. I’ve never even seen the permit for our house before now. I thought documents like this belonged at City Hall.”

“Really?”

“I think so, but I don’t know much about it. Either way, how did they end up in our file cabinet?”

Lotty shook her head. She placed the papers back in the folder and tapped her fingers against it.

“These must be the documents that kid was talking about, right?”

Lotty considered it.

“We’ll figure all of this out, Lotty.”

She nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “Do you think Cade is innocent?” she asked.

“We can’t rule anybody out, but it’s hard for me to picture him being involved. Who else has a reason to dislike you?”

“Officer Netley seems to have it out for me.”

“I thought about him too, but he just moved to Walden. What could he have against you?”

Lotty shook her head. “The only other person I can think of is Trinity. If I were out of the picture, she could leave Dan and get you.”

A laugh escaped Jason’s lips. “No, she couldn’t.” He watched Lotty out of the corner of his eye as a tiny smile flickered across her face. He was enjoying this time with her, even if it was because they were running from a would-be killer. He and Lotty hadn’t gone anywhere together since before Aiden was born.

“Well, she might be crazy enough to try it anyway.”

“Trinity is definitely crazy, but I don’t think she’s that crazy,” Jason said.

“It has to be somebody,” Lotty said. “And we’re not going to think anyone we know is horrible enough to be behind this. We have to figure out the motive and how all these seemingly random events are connected.” 

“I have to go potty,” Ty said, pulling off his headphones.

“You haven’t even been in the car for ten minutes,” Jason said.

“Then can I have a snack?”

“Wait, so you don’t have to go potty?”

Ty shrugged. “I don’t know. Kind of.”

Lotty handed Ty and Aiden each a bag of crackers. Before they had opened them, the hens were on their laps trying to steal crackers. Lotty leaned back in her seat and yawned. The boys cried about their crackers, the chickens bocked, and Lotty continued right where they’d left off. “What is it about building permits that could be so important?”

Jason thought, but had no answer. “The only common factor in all of this is the neighborhood. What could it be about Strawberry Lake Estates and why now?”

Lotty’s only answer was a sigh. She leaned back in the seat, balled up her sweatshirt, and leaned against it.

Two hours and three hundred verses of The Wheels on the Bus later, Jason thought he might explode. The boys had developed a cycle: crying, singing, fighting, yelling at the hens, repeat. The entire time Lotty lay back in her seat deep in thought. Jason tried to relax and ignore the circus in the back, but there was no way. How could Lotty tune it out? She obviously had super-human powers. 

She noticed Jason watching her and raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

He shook his head.

“Where are we going anyway?” She asked.

“Idaho. It has to be somewhere we don’t usually go and I want to be far enough away no one can find us. There’s a place near Orofino I went when I was a kid that was nice and secluded. Hopefully it still is. It’s right on the water. The boys will love it.”

Lotty nodded. Her eyes closed. Jason alternated between watching the road and watching Lotty. What would he do if something happened to her? The last month had showed him the Lotty he married was still there, just covered in a blanket of sadness and hurt. He would find a way to make things right between them. He longed for things to be how they used to so he could reach across the console and hold her hand. Now it would only feel forced.

The chickens flapped around the van, the boys yelled, and Lotty slept. Jason pulled off the highway onto the dirt road and the van bounced around between rocks and potholes. He wound around through trees until everything opened up and showcased a beautiful river. The sun reflected off the water and the trees and mountains created the perfect backdrop. The boys were silent as they stared out the window. Even the hens settled down. For a moment, Jason forgot the reason for this trip. The peaceful setting and serenity that engulfed the van replaced his stress with calm.

He opened his door and the scent of blooming violets brought back memories from his childhood. He’d loved this place. As he stretched his legs, two hens rushed to his lap. After a frenzy of wings in his face and squawking, they bolted through his door and into the tall grass.

“Lotty, we’re here,” he said.

“Can I get out, Dad?”

Jason helped the boys get out before opening Lotty’s door. Even with all the noise, she was still asleep. He knew the boys wore her out, but he hadn’t realized quite how much. “Lotty, wake up.” He spoke quietly. He didn’t want to scare her, but was excited to show her this place. She didn’t budge. He reached across her to get his sunglasses from the middle console. Her eyes popped open and she jerked upright in the seat, hitting her face on the side of his head.

Instinctively, he put his hand on her cheek. “Are you okay?”

She laid her hand on top of his, but pulled it away as she blinked her eyes several times. “Yeah. What are you doing?”

“I tried to wake you up, but you were out so I was reaching across to get my glasses. Sorry.” He backed away, even as his brain screamed for him to stay close.

“Oh.” She took a deep breath. “Wow, we’re already here?”

Jason nodded with a smile. He offered his hand to help her out of the car. She looked around. “I didn’t think too many places could be as beautiful as Walden, but this place is amazing. Look at all the flowers.”

Jason watched her take everything in. He realized he was still holding her hand, but held it tight for another few seconds before letting go.

The hens scratched at the dirt happily and the boys sat down and did the same. Lotty and Jason unloaded the car and set up the tent. Jason handed everyone a granola bar. “An early dinner,” he said.

Lotty raised an eyebrow.

“If we don’t spend time making dinner, we’ll have time to hike to the waterfall.”

Her eyes lit up. Jason pulled out the hiking carrier he’d packed in the van. They’d used it when Ty was a baby and Jason had backpacked him up several mountains. Hiking had been something he and Lotty had enjoyed together from the time Lotty moved to Montana until the end of her pregnancy with Aiden. 

“What do we do with the hens?” Lotty asked. “And what will we do with them in the night?” 

Jason looked around. He hadn’t thought about that. “I’ll figure it out while you guys eat.” They could leave them in the van, but that would be really messy. Same with the tent. He dug through the van looking for anything he could use to make a collar. He cut an old handkerchief into strips, tied the pieces into collars, and used twine to tie the hens to the tent posts. He gave them each several yards of twine so they would have plenty of space to play.

“Can we bring them on our hike?” Ty asked.

“No,” Lotty and Jason said in unison. Jason continued, “They couldn’t make it very far. We have to leave them here if we want to make it to the top.”

Lotty helped put Aiden into the carrier on Jason’s back and they headed toward the trail. Before they’d even made it to the trailhead, Ty complained his legs were tired. Lotty put him on her back and continued. Five minutes later, a foul smell alerted them that Aiden had a dirty diaper. Lotty took a diaper, changing pad and wipes from her backpack and changed him. Next the boys were hungry, and without missing a beat, Lotty whipped out crackers for each of them. Then came the incessant questions: Why do people touch poison ivy? Can I touch it if I’m super careful? Where is that squirrel’s mommy? Do you think the chickens miss us? Why do they have wings? Though Jason could tell she was tired, Lotty answered every question. As they progressed up the mountain, Jason’s admiration for her increased. He’d been so busy with life, he’d failed to see how patient she was with the boys. When someone complained, she fixed the problem and moved on. While he was ready to tell the boys to “be quiet” or “deal with it,” she smiled and made everything right.

Jason watched her from several feet behind. She tucked a strand of loose hair back into her ponytail and smiled at something Ty said before taking a drink from her water bottle. His eyes stayed on her as she showed Ty some unripe huckleberries and popped one in her mouth. Ty laughed as her face puckered and he threw his little arms around her waist. Jason couldn’t help but smile. He loved this family of his. He loved Lotty. He was going to consciously put his marriage first until this rift between them was gone. It didn’t matter why she’d gone to California or how she’d treated him when she got back. She had chosen to marry him and he was going to be worthy of that choice.

He unhooked the carrier and let Aiden run along the path until it opened up and they could see the waterfall they’d been hearing for most of the hike. The boys climbed on top of a rock and stared. Jason moved closer to Lotty until their arms were only centimeters apart. “It’s amazing,” she whispered.

She turned to face him. Her eyes sparkled and her face broke into a smile until the ring of her phone startled them both. “Oh, I uh, guess we get service up here,” she said, fumbling to get her phone out of her pocket. “It’s just voicemails.”

“You might want to check them now. You won’t have any service back at the campsite, probably as soon as we leave this opening.”

Lotty nodded. She turned on speaker phone to let Jason listen as Trinity screeched about a chicken wandering the neighborhood and eating her flowers. “I guess we know where Flo is,” she said with a smile. Then turning serious, “I hope she stays safe until we get back.” Next was a message from Nikki telling Lotty about how horrible the gym was without her, how Brent was a cranky mess dealing with issues at work, and would she please call her back because she was getting worried after sending several texts and getting no response. Also, did she know there was a blue Acura parked in her driveway? It had been there for at least ten minutes.

Lotty’s eyes widened as she stared at Jason. She ended the call. “Should we call the police and ask them to check it out?”

“Do you know anyone with a blue Acura? Maybe it’s just somebody from town.”

Lotty shook her head.

“Okay, I’ll call.” Jason started to dial, then hesitated. “But what if they track it? And what if Netley is connected to this. I know it’s not likely, but we can’t risk anyone finding us.”

Lotty nodded. “Okay.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I think we should probably head back down now.”

Jason agreed. The thought of a stranger roaming through their house created a chill in the air. He loaded the carrier and Aiden onto his back and followed Lotty toward the trail.