The First Death (Columbia River, #4)(71)

It’s a map with a red dot and the address. It means nothing to me. I have no idea where that is. I heavily exhale and run a hand across my mouth. I don’t know what to do.

He sighs and then touches the screen again. A blue line suddenly marks the route. The same mapping tool Liam uses to locate the homes for our electrical work.

“Want me to print this for you?”

“Please.”

“Hang on.”

Two minutes later I walk out of the store and stand in the sun, still in shock, my mind racing, my new hat on my head, and the map clenched in my hand. It says I can walk there in two hours.

Today I will see them.

How many other lies was I told?

A white truck passes on the busy street, and I whip out of my shock. It’s not Liam, but I’ve been distracted for several minutes. What if he’d walked in the store while I talked to the clerk? I’d completely forgotten that I need to hide. I shudder, imagining his anger if he finds me.

I need to stay alert.

I turn to continue my run behind the store, thinking about my parents. I have a new energy. A different energy than when I ran from the electrical job. I try to understand why it is different, and I realize I haven’t felt it in decades.

It’s hope.





38


It was burger Friday at Rowan’s parents’. Even though they’d just gotten together not long ago for Malcolm’s birthday, no one ever considered changing burger Friday. It was tradition. The family believed in keeping its traditions, so special attention was given to keeping the menu different from on Malcolm’s day. Local microbrews were the drink of choice, and her mom always made a giant leafy salad with every green in season. Dessert was usually Tillamook Mudslide ice cream.

Evan messaged that he was minutes away as Rowan opened her parents’ front door and let Thor inside. Her smile from Evan’s text faded as she stepped inside the house and felt the heavy atmosphere. Her dad was speaking in hushed tones to Ivy on the couch while West was curled up in an easy chair across the room, completely focused on his tablet. Ivy had already been furious about Adam when Rowan called. She’d made a hotel reservation far outside of town even though her parents and sisters had offered their homes. “I won’t let Adam affect your lives too,” she’d said.

It already has.

“Hi, honey.” Her mom took the bag of ice cream from Rowan’s hand and kissed her on the cheek. Thor had already made a beeline for West. He adored the boy.

“Is Ivy okay?” asked Rowan.

“She will be,” said Miriam. “She’s frustrated.” She glanced at the pair on the couch. “And your father is ready to skin the man if he ever sets eyes on him.”

“Me too. Where’s Iris?”

“She texted. She’ll be here in a few minutes. Turn on some music. This house feels like a funeral parlor.”

Rowan agreed. She used an app to start some Fitz and the Tantrums on her parents’ sound system, knowing West would immediately react. Moments later West set aside his tablet, popped out of the chair, and started spinning while clapping his hands as commanded by the song. Everyone stopped to watch. It was impossible to not smile at the energetic performance. By the time the next song started, the mood was lighter, and smiles were everywhere.

That song always works.

Iris strode into the house and set two bags of potato chips on the kitchen counter. She frowned at the sight of West teaching a line dance to his mom and grandfather. She jerked her head at her mom and Rowan, and the three of them moved into the foyer.

“What’s wrong?” Rowan immediately asked.

“When I was driving down this street, some guy darted from the sidewalk behind some rhododendrons three houses down. As I drove by, I spotted him peeking at me.” She looked at her mom. “Whose house is that?”

Her mother already had her phone out. “Linda’s. I’m texting to ask if she sees someone in her front yard.”

Iris met Rowan’s eyes, and she knew her sister shared her concern.

Is it Adam again?

“This is ridiculous,” said Rowan in a low voice. “We can’t jump every time we see a stranger on the street.”

“This is a close neighborhood,” said her mother. “Everyone knows everybody. I rarely see anyone I don’t know.” Alarm crossed her face as she read a text. “Linda says someone is deliberately hiding in her bushes. A man she doesn’t know.”

“Have her call the police right now. Have her tell them we’ve had problems with a . . . stalker,” said Rowan, hesitant to use the word but knowing it was accurate. “If that’s Adam causing problems, I want him taken back to jail. Lock the back door,” she ordered Iris as she grabbed the handle of the front door.

“Where are you going?” asked Miriam.

“I want to know if it’s Adam,” said Rowan. “I won’t scare him off. I want him arrested when the police get here.”

“Do you think that’s smart?”

“I’ll keep my distance. I just need a glimpse.”

“We need to tell your father.”

Rowan paused, agreeing that her father should know what was going on, but also knowing that her father would probably try to catch the guy before the police arrived. “It could be no one,” she said. “I don’t think he and Ivy need to know yet.”