Cassia, wished she could go and lie down next to her daughter instead of having to worry that, when the time came, her in-laws would conjure up an excuse to try to keep her longer, if not indefinitely.
Actually, they wouldnât have to conjure up an excuse. They had a great one, considering what theyâd learned today.
India stared down at her phone. Sheâd received a call from Ellie Cox at dinnertime and ignored it. Ellie was the wife of Charlieâs best friend. Theyâd been close over the past three years, ever since Ellie and Mitchell had moved into her and Charlieâs neighborhood. But, like the Sommerses, Ellie and Mitchell now treated her with coolness. It was humiliating to have her friends turn on her, and yet the loss of her relationship with Ellie wasnât what concerned India about her message.
India hit the play button on her voice mail, even though sheâd already listened to it several times.
India, itâs me, Ellie. Give me a call when you can. Iâve been thinking about you, wondering how youâre doing. Iâm sorry itâs been so long, but...weâve been busy with Tylerâs baseball season. You know how that goes.
She did know, since sheâd sat through many of his games, keeping Ellie company. Ellie could easily have stepped away to place a call or, at the very least, send a text message.
But that wasnât what worried her.
We have games almost every night this month, what with his regular team and his competitive team going at the same time. Anyway, someone at the park told me youâd moved to Whiskey Creek. Is that true? I knew you were looking for a house, but I donât remember hearing that youâd found one.
There it was. Someone at the ballpark had told Ellie that India had moved to Whiskey Creek. Who? Were her old acquaintances still talking about her? Did they know where sheâd gone? India hadnât told a lot of people where she planned to move, but neither had she kept it as secret as she now wished she had.
How easy would it be for Sebastian to find her?
She was just wondering if she shouldâve gotten a new number, when the soft thud of a car door almost made her spill her tea. Ready to call for help should she need to, she gripped her cell in one hand, set her cup aside and crept into the living room to peer through the wooden shutters.
Nearly one in the morning was late for visitors, even on a Saturday.
Itâd been after one when Sebastian broke into her house the last time...
Praying that the sound had come from next door and wasnât as close as it seemed, she studied the dark landscape, her driveway, her neighborsâ driveway. Plenty of shadows danced in the moonlight as branches swayed in the wind, but she saw no sign that someone had arrived.
She decided she mustâve imagined what sheâd heard. Sheâd been imagining the worst all night. Jumping at every creak or bump. Nervously staring out various windows for long stretches of time. Picturing Sebastian out there, watching her house, waiting for her to go to bed so sheâd be vulnerable, like before.
She rubbed away the goose bumps that prickled her arms. She was growing paranoid, and her exhaustion wasnât helping. She didnât have any reserves, needed to sleep.
Pushing herself away from the window, she went to her room and curled up on the bed. But even after she lay down, she watched the clock and continued to listen. The harder she tried to sleep, the more difficult it became.
At two thirty, she thought she heard the approach of another car. When she jumped up to check, once again she saw no sign of anyone.
Afraid sheâd drive herself mad if she didnât do something, she considered going out to sleep on the riverbank. But she knew she wouldnât feel any safer there. With her luck, sheâd be dragged off by a mountain lion while she was sleeping outside to protect herself from Sebastian.
After spending
Actually, they wouldnât have to conjure up an excuse. They had a great one, considering what theyâd learned today.
India stared down at her phone. Sheâd received a call from Ellie Cox at dinnertime and ignored it. Ellie was the wife of Charlieâs best friend. Theyâd been close over the past three years, ever since Ellie and Mitchell had moved into her and Charlieâs neighborhood. But, like the Sommerses, Ellie and Mitchell now treated her with coolness. It was humiliating to have her friends turn on her, and yet the loss of her relationship with Ellie wasnât what concerned India about her message.
India hit the play button on her voice mail, even though sheâd already listened to it several times.
India, itâs me, Ellie. Give me a call when you can. Iâve been thinking about you, wondering how youâre doing. Iâm sorry itâs been so long, but...weâve been busy with Tylerâs baseball season. You know how that goes.
She did know, since sheâd sat through many of his games, keeping Ellie company. Ellie could easily have stepped away to place a call or, at the very least, send a text message.
But that wasnât what worried her.
We have games almost every night this month, what with his regular team and his competitive team going at the same time. Anyway, someone at the park told me youâd moved to Whiskey Creek. Is that true? I knew you were looking for a house, but I donât remember hearing that youâd found one.
There it was. Someone at the ballpark had told Ellie that India had moved to Whiskey Creek. Who? Were her old acquaintances still talking about her? Did they know where sheâd gone? India hadnât told a lot of people where she planned to move, but neither had she kept it as secret as she now wished she had.
How easy would it be for Sebastian to find her?
She was just wondering if she shouldâve gotten a new number, when the soft thud of a car door almost made her spill her tea. Ready to call for help should she need to, she gripped her cell in one hand, set her cup aside and crept into the living room to peer through the wooden shutters.
Nearly one in the morning was late for visitors, even on a Saturday.
Itâd been after one when Sebastian broke into her house the last time...
Praying that the sound had come from next door and wasnât as close as it seemed, she studied the dark landscape, her driveway, her neighborsâ driveway. Plenty of shadows danced in the moonlight as branches swayed in the wind, but she saw no sign that someone had arrived.
She decided she mustâve imagined what sheâd heard. Sheâd been imagining the worst all night. Jumping at every creak or bump. Nervously staring out various windows for long stretches of time. Picturing Sebastian out there, watching her house, waiting for her to go to bed so sheâd be vulnerable, like before.
She rubbed away the goose bumps that prickled her arms. She was growing paranoid, and her exhaustion wasnât helping. She didnât have any reserves, needed to sleep.
Pushing herself away from the window, she went to her room and curled up on the bed. But even after she lay down, she watched the clock and continued to listen. The harder she tried to sleep, the more difficult it became.
At two thirty, she thought she heard the approach of another car. When she jumped up to check, once again she saw no sign of anyone.
Afraid sheâd drive herself mad if she didnât do something, she considered going out to sleep on the riverbank. But she knew she wouldnât feel any safer there. With her luck, sheâd be dragged off by a mountain lion while she was sleeping outside to protect herself from Sebastian.
After spending
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