The laptop screen unlocked.
When it did, the last website her sister accessed popped up on the screen.
It was a video image of snow-dusted trees and a narrow path cutting through forest.
Kori squinted. Was this . . . trail footage?
Her pulse ticked faster. Why would her sister have trail footage?
She pressed Play.
The image remained the same for several seconds, other than the wind pushing lightly through branches. Then a figure stepped into the frame—a woman bundled in a heavy coat with a hat on her head.
Kori couldn’t make out any details about her, but she didn’t appear to be Mackenzie. The woman was too tall, too thin.
The timestamp in the corner of the screen read seven days ago.
So this was a week-old video showing trail cam footage of a strange woman hiking. What an odd thing for her sister to have.
She continued watching until the footage abruptly ended.
Kori closed the video and scanned the screen. Dozens of files were posted there, with dates and times.
Was this for Mackenzie’s job?
Kori had so many questions.
The crash of metal outside made her head snap up.
She rushed into the living room.
Just as she reached the couch, she saw headlights sweeping across the living room wall as a car passed on Main Street. Light slid over the window then disappeared.
Her pulse continued to race.
She moved toward the glass, curious about the sound she’d heard.
Something beyond her reflection caught her attention.
A darker shape just outside the edge of the window frame.
She stepped closer.
The building had a narrow metal fire escape running along the back, she realized. She hadn’t noticed it earlier from the street. The stairs hugged the brick, descending toward the alley beside the building.
As her eyes adjusted, she noticed the snow on the metal landing wasn’t smooth. It was disturbed and compressed . . . as if someone had been standing there. Recently.
She leaned down for a better angle.
That was when her gaze caught an impression on the glass.
A handprint.
The shape was unmistakable—the heel of a palm, fingers spread slightly apart.
Someone had stood on the fire escape.
Touched the glass.
