Page 107 of The Family Guest

“No, you don’t! You can blame her. This is all her fault!”

What did my mother have to do with this?

Before I could ask, my Jeep began to sputter. Slipping and sliding on the icy road.

“What’s going on?” asked my deranged passenger as I gripped the steering wheel, hoping not to go over the mountain road.

On my next jittery breath, the car stalled, coming to a complete halt. I glanced at the dashboard. The fuel gauge registered empty.

“We’re out of gas.”

“What!?” She banged the dashboard with a fist. Better than a bang of the gun. “You stupid idiot!”

Her maniacal eyes stayed on me. “Leave your phone behind and get out of the damn car! And don’t try to do something stupid or you’ll be roadkill. Or coyote bait. Take your pick.”

Hesitantly, I did as she asked as she followed me out from the passenger side, the gun in her hand. The frigid air assaulting me, I thought about making a mad dash, but what was the point? With the icy road and blinding snow, I’d likely slip and fall, and she’d take a shot at me.

“Get in front of me so I can see you,” she shouted, as she rounded my Jeep, loud enough to be heard above the howling wind. “And put your hands up.”

My teeth clattering, I again did what she asked, wishing I could hug myself to keep warm. With the wind chill factor, the temperature felt like it was below zero.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going on a short scenic walk. I’m going to show you the lake that imp fell into. You may be going for a swim too. Start walking! And remember, don’t do anything stupid.”

Shivering from both fear and the frigid temperature, I plowed ahead. I could hear her right behind me, her new boots crunching into the dense white powder. Maybe she’d slip and break her neck. And I’d have a chance to escape this nightmare.

Wishful thinking on my part as she bellowed…

“It sucks to be you.”

FIFTY-NINE

NATALIE

First the call about Matt’s accident. Now this. The phone shook in my hand. My voice shook in my throat.

“H-hello?”

“This is Detective Mendez with the San Bernardino Police Department. Is this Natalie Merritt?”

“Y-yes.” My voice was so strangled I could barely get a word out. Every fiber of my being was vibrating. I felt like a tuning fork.

My life as I knew it was over.

“Do you know a Tanya Blackstone?” the caller asked.

“Yes.” I was totally baffled. This was not the question I was expecting. “She’s our English exchange student. She’s been living with us since the end of August.”

“Is she with you now?”

“No, she went out with my daughter, Paige…in Paige’s car to buy some boots. I believe they’re on their way back.”

“Mrs. Merritt, we have evidence proving your exchange student is not who she says she is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Early last month, your so-called exchange student was in an automobile accident. Correct?”