Page 36

Kate

Landon’s face scrunches up like he’s confused as he listens to whoever is on the line. His eyes dart to the TV in the corner of the kitchen counter. He motions for me to find the remote as he turns it on. He raises four fingers.

“Channel four. Yeah, she’s right here. I’m at her place.”

“As you can see, the crew behind me has been combing the area around the lake, searching for any clues as to what happened. Hopefully, the police will have a statement revealing the name of the young woman’s body found in the water by a student jogging this morning. There was no telling how long the body had been there as it was unrecognizable. This only adds to the mystery as to whether this was done by an animal or a person. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.”

When the screen returns to the news desk, Landon clicks off the TV and turns to me, face full of worry. “Thanks for getting a hold of me man. I’ll talk to you later.” He hangs up.

“You don’t think it’s her, do you?”

“I don’t know, but Kate, nobody’s seen her for weeks.”

“Was that a lake by your school?” Adam asks.

We both confirm with a nod and tell them about Kristy’s disappearance, her involvement with Trevor, Trevor’s insistence that Kristy meant nothing to him and that we shared that all with the cops.

“That all sounds very suspicious. I can’t believe her parents haven’t put up more of a fuss. I bet they’re sick with worry now though. I swear, not knowing would make me ill.”

The emotions running through me are suddenly too much.

“I need to go plug in my phone. It’s almost dead.”

I bound up the stairs. My room is dark, but enough moonlight filters through the window for me to make it to my nightstand and the charger. I flick the lamp on so that I can see better to properly place the piece into the port. I pick up the picture of Landon and I at an amusement park last summer. Knowing what I know now, the way he looks at me in the picture as he snuggles against me is unmistakable. No wonder I loved this picture so much and chose to frame it.

I frown when I see my closet door is cracked open. Last night I laid out my clothes from my bag so there was no reason to open my closet. A shiver runs down my spine. Damnit, that news report has me on edge. I’ve been on edge ever since I woke this morning from whatever dream I couldn’t seem to remember. Screw it, I’m going to ask Landon to stay the night here. I don’t want to be alone right now.

I leave my lamp on and let the door to my room stay cracked. Entering the dining room, I see that Adam and Landon are mulling over how they’d like the turkey to be carved. My mom walks in with a new bottle of uncorked wine in tow. Adam looks up and smiles at her all sweet-like. Aww, that’s stinkin cute.

Once we load up our plates with all sorts of deliciousness, my mom asks Landon if he’d like to say grace. He doesn’t love being put on the spot, so he looks a little nervous, and I almost speak up to say I’ll do it. He surprises me and nods, taking my hand in his while he leads us in prayer, thanking God for blessing us so much this year. I sigh and silently thank God for sending me Landon.

We chat amongst ourselves and enjoy way too much food. Landon’s affectionately rubbing his food baby and making me laugh. Yet again, I’m struck with what a great day it has been.

“So, Mom,” I start as I’m finishing up my bite of pumpkin pie, “what’s with all the cracked doors today?”

She looks at me funny.

“This morning you left my bedroom door cracked after checking in at some point, and the bathroom door was cracked when I got out of the shower. Then when I went to plug in my phone, I saw my closet door was cracked. Did you find a shirt or something you wanted to wear?”

She shakes her head, confused, like she doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about.

“No hun, you know I would say something if I was coming into a room you were in. I didn’t get into your closet, and I didn’t check in on you in your room this morning.” She worries her bottom lip and looks at Landon like she’s nervous I’m losing it or something.

“Maybe I’m just weirding myself out lately, especially after hearing that news report. Sorry, I’m just being extra paranoid.”

“That’s expected.” She bobs her head. “No apologies needed.”

“In any case, do you mind if Landon stays with me tonight?”

Landon eyes me like he’s surprised I just outright asked my mother that. His cheeks turn a slight pink. My mom clears her throat and dabs her mouth with her napkin.

“If that would help you feel safer.” She looks to Landon then me and nods. “It’s okay. It’s not like he hasn’t been crawling in and out of that window for six years now.”

Adam takes a turn guffawing across the table from me, turning to Landon on his right.

“Are you telling me that it took you six years to get the nerve to tell her how you feel?”

Landon blushes a deeper pink than before.

“She wasn’t ready to hear it, and I didn’t want to lose her.”

Adam mulls this over while tearing and chewing a piece of a crescent roll and beams wide.

“You already pick the ring out then?”

My mom and I drop our forks. That was an unexpected question.

“What?” Adam shrugs. “A man doesn’t climb into a lady’s window for six years and friendzone himself unless he is one hundred percent certain that she is it for him.”

My mother’s eyes gleam with hope.

“Well,” she says, pulling the attention from Adam’s question, “they’ve only been officially dating for a few months.” She sips her wine.

“It’s not like they just met. They’ve been at each other’s side for six years. There was only one aspect of their relationship they hadn’t ventured into.”

With that, Landon coughs and stands to take his plate to the kitchen. I follow suit. Adam and my mother can entertain themselves with talk of our future.

“Wow...” I begin rinsing my plate in the sink. “Now I understand why you rushed me out of your parent’s door. I am so sorry.”

Landon gives his signature chuckle reserved for awkward moments and brings his plate to the sink. He takes my rinsed one to place into the dishwasher. I repeat the motion with his plate under the faucet then hand it to him. We work well together, and a man loading a dishwasher is straight up sexy.

“So you really want me to openly spend the night?”

I look up at him, letting him see the shadows of worry.

“I’ve been creeped out all day. I think it’s all from waking up from a nightmare this morning, but I don’t remember it. Everything just has me jumping at the littlest things. It’s silly really. I just don’t want to be alone tonight.”

He closes the dishwasher and pulls me into his arms.

“It’s not silly. You’ve been through a lot. It’s all going to be okay,” he whispers and kisses the top of my head. I melt into the safety of him.

“I’ll feel better when they catch him.” Landon grunts in agreement with me.

We all help clear the table. Adam, Mom, and I put away the leftovers while Landon rolls up his sleeves, getting to work rinsing dishware and filling the rest of the dishwasher. He turns it on and throws a hand towel over his shoulder, eyeing the kitchen for any miscellaneous items to be washed. Like I said, straight up sexy.

Landon

Elsie is saying goodbye to Adam at the door as Kate and I are making our way upstairs. She freezes at the top of the landing, and I feel a shudder wrack her body. She holds out a finger to me when I start to ask her what’s wrong.

Elsie and Adam look up from the doorway, frowning when they notice we’re not moving.

“Kate? Honey, what is it?” Elsie queries.

“Landon…” Kate’s anxious breaths pant out of her. “I turned on my lamp and left the door cracked,” she whispers, and my pulse kicks up, sensing her rising nerves. The upstairs is dark, no longer bathed in the lamp’s soft glow.

“It’s probably just an old lightbulb,” I whisper back, trying to soothe her jumpiness. “I’ll grab a new one.” I start to back down the stairs, but she clutches my arm tightly.

“My door is all the way open...” Kate turns frantic eyes toward me just as the whole house goes dark.

“It’s him…He’s here...” she whispers knowingly.

“ Fuck!” I whisper-shout.

“Elsie? Where’s the breaker located? I’ll check it,” Adam offers, oblivious to what Kate and I just realized, and steps back into the house. He makes his way toward the dining room, and Elsie hesitatingly grabs his arm as she follows, momentarily confused and trying to get a sense of our unease.

“It’s back in the mudroom off the kitchen,” Elsie mumbles. I see her head’s silhouette look back toward the moonlit doorway, unsure of what’s going on, but she continues on.

“Mom…” Kate warns in a tone causing Elsie to stop.

We all jump when a clatter comes from the kitchen.

“What the hell? Who’s there?” Adam steps further into the dining room, yelling into the darkness, and I inwardly groan. My insides are churning. My mind buzzes through scenarios of how to get these girls quietly out of the house.

“Elsie, I need you to get my dad and call the cops. Hurry. Go now.” My low voice growls out the command as she walks back toward the bottom of the stairs to look up at us.

“I’m not leaving Kate,” she whispers frantically.

“Elsie, go now. You are closer. There’s no time for Kate to get down quietly, and every second counts. Go.”

I hear a long, distinct snickt from the dark kitchen, which causes fear to trickle down my spine. Adam goes as still as a deer frozen in headlights. Kate mewls quietly in her throat. Elsie shoots out the door with one last look at her daughter, determination set on her worried face.

I steel my spine, looking over to the woman I love with my whole being.

“Kate, baby, I need you to hide. Don’t come out until I say so. No matter what you hear. If this goes bad, fight. Fight with everything you’ve got.”

I kiss her, pouring all my heart into it. This could be the last time I ever get the chance. He’ll have to walk across my lifeless corpse in order to lay a finger on her. Tears stream down her cheeks. She nods earnestly, her eyes glimmering in the dim light.

“I love you so much,” I choke out. Silent sobs cause her chest to convulse. She runs her fingers quickly over my face, memorizing it. The ache in my chest makes me gulp.

“I love you. Always,” she whispers.

Fuck, I’m scared.

“Hide now, baby. Go,” I whisper, and she takes off as quickly and quietly as she can. Please, God, help her hide well. I pray hard.