Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(69)

Nora kissed her mom on the cheek, and as she walked away, she wondered if Heather’s warning had been warranted after all. Jane never stopped until she got what she wanted.

But how far would Jane go?





CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

After Nora climbed into her SUV, she sat quietly for a moment, unable to wrap her head around everything. It made her sick to her stomach to think she’d been interacting with Jane for the past months, unaware of their connection. What if she could talk to Jane, validate her feelings and all she’d been through . . . make her see that Nora understood now and wanted to help?

She grabbed her purse, pulled out her phone, and called Jane. As she listened to the ringtone, she felt jittery and nearly lost her nerve, but there was no answer. She drew in a breath and after the beep, she left a message: “Jane. It’s Nora. It’s important that you call me back as soon as possible. We need to talk.”

The route to town was uphill, all winding, narrow roads with patches of ice where the hazy sun couldn’t squeeze its way through the tall trees. Concentrating on driving, she kept a good tight grip on the steering wheel. The next ten minutes felt like thirty before she saw street banners and red-and-white-striped poles up ahead. Her spirits brightened as she came to the quaint shops lining both sides of the road.

Whispering Pines appeared smaller than she remembered. A ten-foot wooden Santa waved at her as she entered the town. The shop windows were lined with greenery and wreaths covered with pine cones and twinkling lights. She was lucky to find parking at the end of a small lane behind the hardware store at the end of the road.

Once the engine was off, she checked her phone to see if Jane had returned her call and saw that she had no cellular service this far up the road. She would check again when she returned home.

Determined to do her best to enjoy the holidays with her family, she gathered her purse and climbed out of the car. She walked carefully through icy gravel until she made it to the first shop. Tiny gold bells twinkled on the door to the Christmas store. The place was jam-packed with live trees, all decorated with all sorts of ornaments and baubles: colorful bulbs, an angel made of blown glass, hand-painted ceramic Santas, and reindeer carved from wood. The fragrant scent of noble firs, peppermint, and fresh pine lightened her mood as she found a bucket to place her findings.

After standing in line at the cash register and making her purchase, she headed for the boutique next door, where she found a beautiful sweater for Hailey and a knitted beanie for Trevor. She took her time walking through nearly every shop before making her way to the corner café where she bought a pumpkin latte.

As she waited for her hot drink, she felt a prickling sensation—she was being watched. A glance over her shoulder confirmed her suspicion. There was Gillian, the young girl Trevor had introduced her to last time they came to Whispering Pines. But Gillian wasn’t the one watching her. It was an older woman who had set her gaze on Nora. She assumed the woman was her mother. Nora smiled and waved at Gillian. The woman paled, quickly gathered her shopping bags, and rushed from the coffee shop.

Gillian walked over to her. “Sorry about that.”

“Was that your mom?”

“Yeah. I saw smoke coming from your chimney yesterday, and I was going to walk over to your house today to say hello to Trevor.”

“Oh, please do come over. Later today, we’re going to have hot cocoa and Rice Krispies treats. Plenty for everyone.”

“Thanks. My mom ran out of here because we’ve been getting a lot of prank calls.”

“I’ve been told that kids get bored during the holidays,” Nora said with a sigh.

“It’s a woman. She keeps warning us that a killer has moved into the house across the lake from us—your house.”

Nora’s jaw dropped. “Have you called the police?” she asked before she considered it might have been Jane.

Gillian grunted. “If you knew my mom, you wouldn’t bother asking the question. She is a paranoid human being by nature. So yes. She has called the police multiple times. I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire police force in Whispering Pines, which might total three, including the sheriff, stops by your house. It doesn’t take much to frighten my mom.”

“Would it help if I met your mom and talked to her?”

“No,” Gillian said quickly. “She’d probably have a heart attack, especially after seeing a woman jump out of a taxicab and run into the woods.”

Nora’s adrenaline surged. “What?”

“Yep. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. It happened about an hour ago, on our way here to town. Our driveway is the one before yours. Right as we turned onto the main road, we saw a yellow cab pull to the side of the road, between your driveway and ours. The back of the door flew open, and a tall blonde woman jumped out and disappeared into the trees. Mom freaked out, convinced it was the killer the prank caller warned us about. Mom wanted to turn back and go home, but I convinced her the woman was probably going to be sick or needed to pee.”

There was a sudden pain in Nora’s chest and a buzzing in her ears. Jane had never left. Fearless, unwavering, and ferocious. Why hadn’t she seen it before? The flat, expressionless gaze that would cover her face at odd moments.

“I’m sorry. Did I upset you?”

“I have to go.” Nora rushed out of the café, leaving Gillian standing there, staring after her. She couldn’t worry about that now. She needed to get home.