Nora dragged herself to her feet, her tailbone throbbing. She looked down at Charlie, who sat propped on his elbows, staring at the branch with wide eyes.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Did you just save my life again?” Charlie said, his voice flat, his mind clearly still catching up with what had just occurred.
“Yeah,” Nora said. She carefully dusted off the back of her cargo pants, trying to shed the damp leaves that clung there.
“You’re good at that,” said Charlie.
“I wish you were better at it,” she said. “We really need to go. Now. Whoever that was could still be around here somewhere, and who knows what they have planned next.”
Charlie stood up without protest. His face was as close to mirthless as Nora had seen it in years. This seemed to have finally driven the severity of the matter home to Charlie. He led the way out of the woods, saying nothing.
When they got back to the little red house, they were greeted by a cacophony of voices emanating from the living room. Nora threw a look over her shoulder at Charlie that said, “Oh fuck,” as they took their shoes off. Great. More people they couldn’t trust.
* * *
Once inside they found a healthy fire undulating in the hearth, surrounded by Richard and Ruby on the couch, Patty perched on a footstool, Charles on the matching chair, and a man Nora couldn’t remember the name of on a seat across from them. The man was the relative closest in age to the twins, the only child of Pickles and his wife—Nora knew that much. He wore khaki pants smeared with mud, his stubbly cheeks still rosy from the crisp November air. Based on his position and elevated breathing, he must have arrived only minutes before the twins.
“Uh, hi,” Nora said to no one in particular.
“Oh good, you’re back,” said Richard. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen to warm you both up. A good walk always deserves a little brew, I say.”
Nora blanched at the suggestion, her anxiety already threatening diarrhea without the help.
“How’d you kids sleep?” Patty asked from her perch.
Nora gave her a sharp appraisal. Could she have been in their room with a knife last night?
“Great,” Nora said through a tight jaw.
“Glad to hear it,” said Patty. “Hopefully the boys’ room was up to snuff. God only knows what those scoundrels got up to in there.” She tossed a look at Charles, who volleyed it back the way only a brother could. “Anyway, Mom said you were in need of some clean clothes. Guess Marty never taught you kids how to pack, eh? Typical Marty. Nora, I left some things on your bed for you. Not sure they’ll be your style, but hopefully they’ll keep you warm at least.”
“That’s very kind of you,” said Nora.
“And, Charlie,” said Richard. “You’re welcome to take a look in my closet, but it occurred to me that your father left some of his old things downstairs. I thought they might be more to your taste.”
“Thanks,” was all Charlie said.
“If nothing works, I have a few old things,” said the man Nora couldn’t name. “You could come over if you want, Charlie.”
“As you can see, Phil’s fashion sense is impeccable,” said Patty, indicating the man’s muddy pants.
Phil. Nora made a mental note of that. Phil with the muddy pants and the rosy cheeks and the glint of something suspicious in his eye. Could he have been the one out there in the woodstoday? He looked agile enough to climb a tree, his sinewy muscles visible even under his thin moss-green Henley. Under normal circumstances, ones where they weren’t related and he wasn’t possibly trying to kill her brother, Nora would say he was a good-looking guy. A little old for her, maybe, gray flecks hidden among his brown stubble and creases beside his eyes, but his jaw was strong and his expression sharp and alert. He seemed to be watching the twins more intensely than the rest, his gaze torn between them. His sharp eyes tore through Nora like an X-ray. She wondered if he could see through her ribs to where her heartbeat was quickening with her growing discomfort.
“We’ll go get changed,” said Nora, more as an excuse to get away from that stare than an actual desire to get out of her clothes.
“Is there anywhere to get a car fixed around here?” Charlie asked from beside her. “Or a phone charger we could borrow?” His voice was flat. He scratched at his mat of bleached hair. Nora blinked at him, glad that one of them remembered the plan but shocked it was Charlie.
“No phones to charge, I’m afraid,” said Richard. “Not much need for them when everyone you know is just around the corner.”
“I can fix a car,” said Phil, almost too quickly.
“Phil’s very handy,” Charles confirmed. “He also happens to have the only proper tool kit in Virgo Bay, which helps.”
Which meant he might have been the only person in town with a saw, Nora thought. And now he wanted access to the twins’ only possible means of escape.
“That’s okay,” said Nora. Charlie gave her a confused brow raise but she continued. “We just need to figure out a way home,but we don’t want to put anyone out. It’s an old car. I’ve been meaning to get a new one anyway. Charles, maybe we could come with you on your next supply run?”
