Chapter 14 - The Race Against Time14
The kitchen clock clicked toward midnight. Outside, the distant sound of distant fireworks popped and whistled, welcoming in the new year across the freezing suburbs.
Inside our house, time seemed to stop entirely.
"Martha," I gasped, the blood draining from my face. "My mother knows where she is?"
"Carol kept tabs on everyone who ever crossed her path," my father said, his voice frantic as he stood up so fast his chair wobbled. "She had a private investigator check on retired hospital staff years ago. She knows Martha lives out by the old lake cabin on Route 12."
Evan was already moving, grabbing his heavy winter coat off the rack by the back door and pulling his car keys out of his pocket.
"We need to go, right now," Evan said, his eyes locking onto mine with absolute, uncompromising resolve. "If your mother gets to her first..."
"I'm coming with you," I said, grabbing my own coat and shoving the manila folder deep into my tote bag.
"No," Evan said firmly, grabbing my shoulders. "You stay here with your dad and Lily. Lock every door, arm the security system, and do not open it for anyone. I will go find Martha. I will call the state troopers on my way."
"Evan, no—she’s dangerous, you can't go alone!" I protested, tears of panic blurring my vision.
"I'm not letting you walk into whatever trap she’s setting," Evan said, pressing a fierce, desperate kiss to my forehead. "Protect our daughter. I'll be back."
Before I could argue further, Evan pulled open the back door and sprinted out into the freezing night. A moment later, the roar of our SUV’s engine shattered the midnight silence, and headlights swept across the kitchen wall as he tore down the driveway, racing into the dark winter storm.
I stood in the doorway, my heart pounding in my throat, watching the taillights vanish into the snowy distance.
Beside me, my father slumped against the kitchen counter, burying his face in his hands, muttering apologies that came thirty years too late.
Upstairs, the baby monitor remained silent. Lily was still sleeping, innocent and warm, completely unaware of the violent storm raging around our family.
I locked the back door, slid the security chain into place, and walked into the living room. Every second ticked by like a lifetime. I stared at my phone on the coffee table, waiting for it to ring, praying for Evan’s name to flash across the screen.
Ten minutes passed.
Then fifteen.
Then, my phone lit up.
It wasn't Evan.
The caller ID flashed a private number.
My fingers trembled as I slid my thumb across the screen to answer, pressing the phone to my ear.
May you like
"Hello?" I whispered, my voice shaking uncontrollably.
"Hello, my darling," my mother’s voice came through the receiver, smooth, chillingly calm, and accompanied by the faint, rhythmic sound of crackling wood fire in the background. "Happy New Year. It’s such a shame you couldn't make it to dinner. But don't worry... we have plenty of company here at the lake house. And we’ve just been reminiscing about old times."
