Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(71)

“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.

There were no lights on, but from where he stood, he could see natural light pouring through the windows. The sliding glass door leading from the kitchen to the outside deck overlooking the lake was wide open. Afraid whoever he’d seen running through the trees might be hiding inside, he didn’t call out as he tiptoed in.

Where is Hailey?

As he passed through the kitchen, he opened the knife drawer and very carefully removed the sharpest knife he could find without allowing the knives to clang together and alert anyone to his whereabouts.

His heart thumped against his chest as he stuck his head outside the sliding doors, making sure no one was hiding there. The wide expanse of deck, set high above the bluff, was clear. The stairs were old and wooden, and every fifth or sixth step would creak just the tiniest bit. He took his time making his way to the second floor. At the landing, he stopped to listen.

It was eerily quiet.

All three of the bedroom doors were open, which was weird because no one left their door open, not even when they left the house, especially Hailey.

He walked toward Hailey’s room, afraid of what he might find. His heart thumped wildly within his chest as he reached her door. Her room was empty, the bed unmade. Hailey’s room connected to a shared bathroom. The door was closed. Holding the knife in front of him, the sharp point tipped away from him, he walked that way. Using his left hand, he reached for the doorknob.

The door came open.

Hailey screamed.

He screamed. The knife dropped near his foot and skittered across the floor into a pile of one-hundred-dollar bills.

“What the hell are you doing with that knife?” Hailey wanted to know.

“I can’t find Tank, so I came here to see if he’d come home. The front door was open.” He was near tears, practically hyperventilating. “Mom should have been back a while ago. And I saw a dark figure walking in the deepest part of the trees near the lake.”

“Slow down,” Hailey said, ushering him to the bed, where she pushed down on his shoulders, making him sit on the edge of her mattress. “You really need to stop being so paranoid. Nobody is running around in the woods watching you, okay?”

“Okay,” he said, knowing she was right.

Hailey put a hand on her stomach before doubling over in pain.