“She should be in town,” she says. “He asked her to meet him, but he couldn’t go, obviously. He was with us when he pretended to be Greta, saying she wasn’t home. He didn’t want you to come home to look for her. But then when he realized you were leaving anyway, he used my voice to tell you she was safe. We never had Taylor.”
So the Taylor who told me she was in town was the real one. She was waiting to meet a catfish.
“She’s safe, but you need to find her. I’m worried he messed with your car. He said he was going to make sure she couldn’t get back home tonight. He needed you two to suffer, to want to fix your marriage for Taylor’s sake.”
“That’s why Taylor told me she was gone until we stopped fighting.”
“Because it was EJ, yes. He can be anyone he wants, Corinne. Anyone, anywhere. Phone numbers, voices. I’m so sorry. This is my fault.”
Anyone. Anywhere.
I have no idea what’s been real lately. But Taylor’s phone showed she was nearby, and the real Taylor has her phone. If she couldn’t drive here, if her date didn’t show up, she might’ve tried to walk.
The woods.The thought sends chills down my spine. Traveling through the woods in this storm in the dark could be a death sentence. But staying here could be, too.
My mind flashes to Lewis again. To EJ. I don’t want to leave Mom, but she’s right. I need to warn Lewis. Find Taylor. Get Greta, Conrad, and Benji out of here. I hand Mom my phone, dialing 911.
“Stay here. Get ahold of the police, okay?”
She nods, eyes brimming with tears. “There are tunnels.” She juts her head to the left. “After Greta escaped, I crawled through them. I wanted to warn you. I tried…” She sniffles, shaking her head to brush away her tears, no time for them. “Go that way. You’ll push on the wall. I’m not sure exactly where. The passage is narrow and small, so watch your head, but you’ll come to a set of winding stairs. Take them to the top.”
I start to go, but I can’t. I can’t leave her. “Come with me.” I lean over, throwing her arm around my shoulder.
“No. It’s too dangerous. He knows about the tunnels, too. He knew about them without me telling him. Maybe he found them when he was here for the listing, I don’t know. If he corners you there, you need to be able to run. I won’t be selfish and put you in danger.”
I set my jaw, thinking. “We’ll go through the house, then. I know my way. It’s safer.”
“The tunnel gets you farther from the house.”
“I can’t go too far. I need to find Lewis. He’s out there with EJ.” I pull her forward, no more time for discussion.
“I’ll go back through the tunnel, then. You go through the house. That way one of us gets out no matter what happens.” She swallows, holding my phone. “As soon as I get service, I’ll call the police. You find Lewis.”
I grit my teeth. “Fine. Okay.” Taking her hand, I squeeze it gently. “Mom, be careful. Promise me.”
She throws her arms around me in a quick hug. “I’ll meet you out there?”
It sounds like a question, like she’s begging the universe to make it happen. Then, with a wave goodbye, she disappears into the shadows.
I climb the stairs carefully and reach the floor above, listening. In the living room, I can hear Conrad, Benji, and Greta scrambling to find flashlights. The breaker box is near the back of the house. I have no idea if the storm is the cause of the power outage or if it’s EJ, but if it’s him, I have to assume he has a plan.
I just need a better one.
I enter the living room, finding Greta right away. I touch her arm. She jumps, and Benji points his phone’s flashlight at me. “Jesus.” She puts a hand to her chest. “Where did you go? We couldn’t find you.”
“It’s a long story. Listen, we have to go.”
“Go where?” Conrad asks.
“I need to find Lewis. Taylor’s in the woods.”
“The woods?” Greta’s voice goes soft, worried.
“I’ll explain everything, we just need to go.”
“Why?” Conrad demands. “What’s happening?”
CRACK.
