Christmas music played on the radio as she sped up. She blindly hit the knob but only managed to turn the volume louder.
Stay focused, she told herself. Your family is in danger.
The traffic heading up the hill in the opposite lane was bumper to bumper, much heavier than it had been an hour ago. Thankful there were no cars in front of her, she put her foot on the gas just as her tire hit a slick spot on the road, her vehicle coasting long enough to make her heart rate spike. She put on the brake. Nothing happened.
Her car picked up speed. Way too fast for Nora’s liking. When she realized her foot was still on the brake and nothing was slowing her down, a brick settled in her gut.
What the hell was going on?
She pumped the brakes. It was no use. She was still picking up speed. Keeping her eyes on the road, she used her left foot to find the emergency brake and push down. The brake failed to engage, and the pedal hit the floor with a thud. “Jingle Bells” blasted around her, making her ears ring. She was sweating.
Her heart beat faster when she saw a sharp curve in the road up ahead. She slammed the palm of her hand on the horn, hoping drivers would do what they could to get out of her way. People in their cars and the trees on both sides of the road were nothing more than blurry shadows as she approached.
“No. No. No.”
Both hands on the wheel, her fingers holding tight, she yanked on the wheel right as she got to the curve. The back end of her car smashed into the back door of a car in the other lane as she turned, tires squealing. Once she made the turn and was able to right the wheels, the SUV picked up speed again. It was a straight line ahead before the stop sign, which was approaching fast. Another sharp right came after that. There would be no avoiding catastrophe if she didn’t do something quick. White light flashed before her, taking her back to another time, another day. Only this time, she was fully alert. She didn’t dare blink.
Think, Nora. Think.
Hoping for a miracle, she saw a clearing to her right, between two thick clusters of trees up ahead. Knowing she had no other choice, she waited until she arrived at the gap in trees and yanked the wheel to the right. The SUV dipped forward and then upward but kept moving. Her chest hit the steering column, the impact stealing her breath. White-hot pain filled her head as the tires hopped and skipped over the thick forest debris, slowing the vehicle, but not enough to stop the momentum.
Her fingers ached as she fought to keep a tight grip on the steering wheel, the steering column vibrating and jerking. She refused to let go. The muscles in her arms burned as she continued to try to yank the wheel uphill. Although she couldn’t see the rocky cliff, she knew it was there. Every year someone fell prey to the steep overhang, usually a hiker. At the same moment the thought came to mind, she saw a bluish sky dotted with clouds hovering over the lake.
She reached for the door handle just as the undercarriage smacked into a stump, jerking the wheel to the left and straight for the cliff.
Her time had run out.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Trevor sat on the dock with Grandpa while Grandma watched Dad climb under the sink to make repairs. After tucking the blanket Grandma had given him over Grandpa’s lap, Trevor sat in a chair facing Grandpa and the myriad of trees. If he looked over his shoulder, he could see the vast and shimmering lake and their new home set above the bluff. He wasn’t ready to look at the water, avoided it whenever he could, and yet he knew he would need to find a way to conquer his fear before too long.
Grandpa wasn’t yet eighty. It made Trevor sad to think that the same man who had taught him to carve wood and catch fish had a difficult time remembering who he was. Still, he wondered what Grandpa was thinking, if he was thinking at all.
It wasn’t long before he found out.
“I need to get to work,” Grandpa said.
Trevor maintained eye contact and asked, “What do you do at work, Grandpa?”
No words came. Grandpa’s eyes looked hazy, like his mind, but something was flickering inside.
Talking clearly and concisely, Trevor said, “Grandma told me you’re a lawyer. The best in the area.”
Grandpa smiled, something Trevor hadn’t seen him do in a long while. Usually he looked worried and a little lost.
“Your grandma is a smart woman,” he said. There was a long pause before Grandpa asked, “What do you do for work?”
Trevor didn’t mind the question. He didn’t bother reminding him that he was only thirteen. He liked the fact that Grandpa was curious about anything at all, so Trevor decided to go for it, tell him what he saw in the future. “I work with computers.”
“Email?” he asked.
“Yes!” Trevor said. “People get email on their computers. They talk to each other without getting on the phone.”
Grandpa scratched his chin. “Grandma has a phone.”
“Yes, but if she’s too tired to talk on the phone, she can get on her computer.”
“So you email people all day long?”
“I input instructions that tell the computers what I want them to do. I create computer software, games, apps, and websites.”
“That sounds complicated.”
“It can be. But it’s fun. I love my job.”
Grandpa smiled again. Twice in a matter of minutes.
Trevor tried not to show any emotion at all when he spotted movement in the forest of trees behind Grandpa. He didn’t want to worry the old man, so he simply sat there and tried to follow the dark shadow through the tall pines. Mom was shopping, and Dad and Grandma were in the cottage. That left Hailey or Gillian. It made him think of the dark figure he’d seen watching him from across the lake. That thought made him squirm. It wasn’t an animal. The thought prompted Trevor to look around for Tank. His dog had followed him outside; he was sure of it. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Trevor stood and looked around before heading inside. Dad was still half hiding beneath the sink. “Have you seen Tank?” he asked Grandma.
“I saw him follow you outside,” Grandma said.
“He’s not out there. You might want to sit with Grandpa while I go look for Tank.”
Grandma nodded at Trevor and headed toward the dock area outside.
“Don’t go too far,” Dad told him. “Another ten minutes and I’ll be done with this.”
“I’m just going to run back to the house and see if he’s there.”
“Okay.”
The minute Trevor stepped outside and started up the path toward home, it was as if a switch had been flipped. His insides vibrated, and every muscle tensed. He’d never experienced anything like it before, not even when he was nearly drowning. His legs began to shake. “Tank!” he called out, afraid he wouldn’t make it home before collapsing in fear. “Come on, buddy! I’ve got a treat for you.”
He stopped to listen for Tank’s familiar footfalls but heard nothing. He started running and didn’t stop until he was standing in the driveway.
Mom wasn’t home yet. If she were, her SUV would be parked in front of the house.
The front door was ajar. Even Hailey wouldn’t have left the door open. What’s going on? He walked slowly now, thankful that his body was no longer vibrating. His legs felt fairly steady as he reached out and pushed the door open.