Page 58 of The Intruder

I wonder if my mom ever bragged about my good grades. I doubt it. “Yes…”

“What’s your favorite subject?”

“Science,” I answer truthfully. “I really liked learning about genetics last year.”

That makes her smile wider. “You’ve always been a smart one. Smart and pretty.”

What must it be like to grow up with people giving you compliments all the time? I can’t even imagine it. I wonder if Brittany ever gets sick of it. I wouldn’t.

“Well, your daddy is at a staff meeting right now,” she tells me. “But why don’t you come with me? I’ll get you some snacks to munch on while you’re waiting for him.”

The voice that screamed at me not to sneak around the Carters’ house the other day is now telling me that I should get out of here while I still can. No good can come of pretending to be Brittany Carter. But then again, she said she has snacks. And I am really hungry.

“Thank you,” I tell her. “I’d like that.”

Bettina beams at me. “You are such a polite one. I can tell your daddy raised you right.”

This is going so well. I won’t need that knife in my backpack at all, I bet.

42

NOW

CASEY

Eleanor has the gun.

If there were a prize for the stupidest person alive, it should be awarded to me for my exemplary work in making a firearm available to a young girl who is clearly quite troubled. Before she came here, all she had was a knife. Yes, you can kill somebody with a knife, but it’s not nearly as easy as it is with a gun. And now she has both, thanks to yours truly.

“Hey…” I raise both my hands in the air. “That…that’s mine.”

“It’s yours?” Her voice is slightly mocking. “Should I give it back then?”

The window shakes as a gust of wind hits the cabin. If only the storm would stop. Then I could get in my truck and get out of here. Of course, she might not let me get that far.

“Please, I want to help you,” I say. “You don’t want to do this.”

“Do what?” In the dim light of the bedroom, I can just barely make out the arch of her eyebrow. “You don’t even know what I’m going to do to you.”

Well, I have some idea. I saw the notebook.

“Do you even know how to shoot that thing?” I ask her.

“I can figure it out. I know where the trigger is.”

Yeah, I’ll bet she does.

“Look…” I have to try to talk my way out of this. Could this possibly be a matter of mistaken identity? How could she really hate me so much that she would want to do those terrible things to me when we’ve only just met for the first time? “Whatever you’re thinking, whatever you’re planning to do…”

Before I can get out the words, a loud crash rings out through the house. The entire foundation shakes, and despite the fact that she is the one holding the gun, Eleanor’s eyes widen in fear.

“What was that?” she whispers. She sounds so young all of a sudden. Like a scared little girl.

I’m not entirely sure, but I have a good idea. “It was coming from outside. We need to go look.”

She narrows her eyes at me. She doesn’t trust me right now, and I can’t blame her after everything she’s been through. My brain is running a mile a minute, trying to think of how to get that gun away from her. If I can get her to put it down for a moment…

“You lead the way.” She shakes the gun at me. “Let’s go.” I start to turn around, and she snaps, “Keep your hands in the air!”