Her first instinct was to follow. Jason was on that road, but she knew he was trying to draw the men away from her and the kids. He was putting himself in danger for them. Hesitantly, she lifted her foot off the clutch and headed in the opposite direction. 

When her mind finally quit replaying the scene of the Acura racing toward the van, Lotty and the boys passed a sign showing they were forty miles from Kellogg. Without even thinking about it, she’d driven the truck flawlessly. However, now that she was aware and focusing on the fact that she was in charge of a stick shift, the truck seemed to sense her uneasiness. It made a few funny noises and backfired before it continued on noisily.

There was no air conditioning in the truck and drops of sweat ran down Lotty’s face. Aiden’s cheeks were red and little drops of moisture beaded across Ty’s forehead. She rolled her window down. The passenger side window was too far away to reach, but there was enough air movement to give a slight reprieve from the heat. Though it wasn’t her van, with its cool air and automatic windows, the truck was doing its job.

She spent the rest of the way singing songs with the boys to try to ease the tension. The last thing she needed was for them to be worried. Unfortunately, it did nothing to lessen her worry. While she pasted on a smile and sang her heart out, her mind reeled. What if Jason didn’t show up? What if those men had caught up to him? She tried not to let her mind think of the worst possibilities, but still, her stomach churned as they made their way through Kellogg and toward the Olive Garden.

There were only a few cars in the parking lot, which wasn’t surprising at 3:21 on a weekday. The warm June air engulfed her the moment the truck stopped moving. The hens were tired of their cramped quarters and began to flap around. The boys whined. “Mom, it’s hot,” Ty said. “See?” He wiped his forehead and showed her the sweat. “When is Dad coming back?”

“Soon, bud. I’m sure we’ll see him soon.” Her cracking voice betrayed her confident mask. She tried to open her door, but couldn’t. She grabbed the handle and pulled harder. Nothing. She groaned and, without warning, tears sprang to her eyes. Dumb truck. This old hunk of metal with its archaic windows and broken door was the reason she didn’t know where Jason was or what was happening to him. She kicked at the floor and somehow felt better. Wiping her eyes, she moved across the bench seat to the passenger side.

The door opened on her first attempt. Okay, maybe the truck wasn’t so bad. Maybe it was time for her to quit taking out her anger on inanimate objects. Maybe. She climbed out and helped the boys out of their seats. The hens still had their makeshift leashes attached to their collars so she led her little crew toward a small, grassy area.

The boys jumped around and played with the hens while the hens tried to ignore them and scratch in the dirt. Slowly, the minutes ticked by. At 3:37, the boys were tired of the small, grassy area and, instead, wanted to play in the truck bed. Next it was the far corner of the parking lot.

After what felt like hours of fighting with herself to not check the time, she gave in. 4:56. They’d been in Kellogg for over an hour and a half, which meant it had been nearly three and a half hours since they’d separated from Jason. He’d told her to leave after three hours. She couldn’t go to Walden without him. It would be giving up on him, and she wasn’t going to give up. He was fine. He was just a little behind schedule.

Another ten minutes crawled by. If she did leave, Jason could meet her in Walden. He wouldn’t be expecting her to wait here any longer. But, could she do it on her own? What would she do once she got to Walden? She couldn’t go back to the house. Jason had told her to find Brent and Nikki, but she wasn’t sure where to start. And still, she had the nagging voice in the back of her mind. What if he couldn’t drive to Walden? What if he was lying in a ditch somewhere in northern Idaho? She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought. He was fine. Totally fine. She decided to go inside and use their phone to try and call him.

Taking the leashes in one hand and holding Aiden with the other, she instructed Ty to hold onto her arm. She marched through the front door of the restaurant. Expressions ranging from slight amusement to complete horror adorned the faces of those waiting inside. Whoops. She hadn’t thought this through. Why hadn’t she put the hens back in the truck? Lotty waited for the hostess with a long, light brown braid to look up. After what seemed an eternity, Lotty cleared her throat. “Is there a phone I can use?”

The hostess took several seconds to take in the scene. Lotty wondered if the hens were even the worst of it. She hadn’t fixed her hair in days, was wearing unwashed clothes, and the boys were covered in the dirt they’d just been playing in.

“Um, no, Ma’am. Our phone is for employees only.” She hesitantly glanced at Lotty again before quietly wincing.

Lotty sighed. “Please. This is an emergency.”

The girl looked at Aiden and Ty and back to Lotty. She slowly nodded before bending down and getting something out of the podium in front of her. She shoved a cell phone into Lotty’s hands. “Here, use mine.” Then she looked at the couple standing behind Lotty. The woman was staring at the hens wide-eyed and the man was trying to pet them. “A table for two?” the hostess asked.

Lotty mouthed, “thank you,” and led the boys and hens outside the front doors. This was a long shot. Jason’s phone was most likely off, but she had to try. She dialed his number and held her breath. Straight to voicemail. She tried once more just in case. When she got his voicemail a second time, she left a short message saying they were worried so to please call her phone and leave her a message when he had the chance. Then she dialed her cell number to check her messages just in case he’d already left one. The only message was from her mother, which she deleted before listening to.

She darted back inside and returned the cell phone to the overwhelmed hostess. 

“Mom, where’s Dad,” Ty asked, pulling on Lotty’s arm.

“I think he’s going to meet us at home,” Lotty said, forcing strength into her voice. She squeezed his hand and led him and the rest of her crew back to the dilapidated truck. It was already well past five and they were at least four hours from home. She needed to get to Walden and the police, or more specifically Brent. She couldn’t afford to wait for Jason any longer. He was fine. He was probably just planning on meeting them in Walden now. They loaded in and she drove back to the interstate. 

By the time the edge of Strawberry Lake came into view, the sun had tucked itself behind the mountains, shining only a hint of light across the peaks. The beautiful sunset made her feel at home. It reminded her of why she’d fallen in love with this place six years ago.

She slowed down as they drove past the town square and the beach. Music filled the air. Tourists dotted the deck of The Anchor Restaurant, which overlooked the lake. Lotty tried not to be jealous of them. She longed to be sitting there with her family instead of wondering where she could go to be safe for the night. She pulled the truck into the first parking spot and debated what to do. Jason had told her to leave her phone off, but what did it matter now? She needed to see if he’d called and to try to find Brent and Nikki.

She turned the phone on and called Jason. His number still went straight to voicemail so she left another message before calling Nikki. No one answered. Hopelessness threatened to overwhelm her as she tried Brent and their home phone with no luck.

Her stomach lurched as a loud group approached the truck. She let out a sigh when they continued past and she could see it was a group of teenagers laughing and yelling. She pulled into reverse and headed toward Strawberry Lake Estates. She had to know what was going on.

She turned one street before her cove and parked where the streetlight didn’t reach. She held a sleepy Aiden in one arm and Ty’s hand in the other. The hens protested when she left them inside the truck and shut the doors, but bringing them would make it impossible to be inconspicuous. The excess adrenaline pumping through her body made it easy to be alert as she moved through the trees.

As the neighborhood came into view, she strained to see her driveway, but the distance and darkness made it impossible. She couldn’t go to her house. Especially not when she had the boys with her. It was too risky. Instead, she made her way toward what was left of Jocelyn’s house. From there, she’d have a clear view of her house and the Grantham’s house.

She stuck to the shadows as she approached the charred remains of Jocelyn’s home. The situation made the burned walls foreboding. Her shaking legs didn’t help. Aiden whimpered and snuggled in closer. Ty remained silent. The Lotty of a few weeks ago would have turned around and gone back to the truck, stayed hidden as long as possible. Maybe that was the smart choice, but she was different now. She could do this, needed to do this. Her husband and friends could be in trouble and she wasn’t going to shrink away from it. Her stomach knotted as she ducked beneath the police tape and reached for the blackened back door. It was unlocked. They stepped into the kitchen. Shivers ran down her spine at the eeriness. What used to be warm and inviting was ominous and creepy. Black marks from the flames licked up the cupboards like shadows, almost consuming the wood. 

Lotty tried to set Aiden down, but he cried. The noise seemed to shake the fragile frame of the house, surely alerting the entire neighborhood of her whereabouts. She put her hand over his mouth and shook her head as she picked him back up. She used the light on her cell phone to help them navigate through the house. Maybe the downstairs bedroom would still be usable. The boys could sleep there while she figured out her next move.

As they inched down the hall, Lotty noticed a soft light glowing from the living room. She shut off the light on her phone and the hall was still perfectly illuminated. Was it a television? There was no sound. Maybe it was muted. She moved away, but Ty pulled free of her hand and shuffled toward the room. “Ty!” she mouthed, but he either didn’t see her or ignored her. This time, she whispered, “Ty, no!” He stood in the doorway to the living room and stared.

“Why are there so many, Mom?” he asked, pointing to the room.

She was both scared and eager to find out what he was referring to. Her heart thumped in her chest as she moved closer. She rounded the corner and stopped next to Ty while she stared into the room. Several monitors sat on fold-up tables. The images on the screens were familiar, but her brain wasn’t working quickly enough. What was she looking at? A loud gasp escaped her lips and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. It couldn’t be, yet there it was. She had to lean on one of the tables to keep her legs from going out from under her. She was staring at video feeds of the inside of her house.

The back door opened and slammed shut. Lotty grabbed Ty and searched for a place to hide. They headed toward the far wall, where a doorway led to the back bedroom, but just as they got past the monitors, Lotty’s phone started playing Mozart’s Symphony 25. She stared at the screen that showed an unknown Montana number. Was is Jason? Her heart sank as she silenced the ring and footsteps moved closer. Willing her feet to move faster though her legs were shaking, she made it to the doorway, but felt someone’s stare. She nervously looked over her shoulder and met a familiar set of eyes.