Three
Norah peeked around the door before stepping into the entry of her house, feeling the usual guilt that she was learning self-defense from someone other than Felicity. There usually wasn’t anyone around after her sessions, so she was able to grab a shower and get a few hours of research done before any of her sisters returned. Today, rather than the mostly empty house she’d expected, it sounded like all her sisters were home—and all were speaking at once. Giving up on her plan of slipping in unnoticed, Norah stepped inside, curious as to what was happening.
“Norah!” her oldest sister, Molly, called from where she was pacing the kitchen, a cell phone pressed to her ear. “You’re home. Good. Cara and I need some help in here.”
Charlie spun around from where she, Felicity, and Bennett—Felicity’s brand-new husband—were deep in discussion by the bottom of the stairs, their heads so close they were almost touching. “Wait your turn, Moo. We need Norah. We’re so close to finding Mom. If she slips away one more time, leaving us wandering around Nebraska again, I’ll… Well, I don’t know what I’ll do, but it’ll be bad.” Charlie crossed the living room and grabbed Norah’s shirt as if to lock her in place.
Eyebrows shooting up, Norah met Charlie’s amped-up gaze. “What’s happening? You really have a lead on Mom?” Her stomach twisted with a mix of emotions. Although it hadn’t been exactly a surprise when Jane had disappeared after using her daughters’ home as collateral on her bail bond, Norah still felt sick every time she thought about it. She also hated the thought of her mom going to prison, and she was annoyed at herself that she even cared. After all, Jane didn’t seem to mind that her actions were about to make her daughters homeless.
“Yes.” Felicity was the one who answered as she bounced across the room to join them, Bennett close behind. He gave Norah a chin lift in greeting.
Although her other sisters had thought Bennett was strange at first, Norah had liked him right away. He didn’t seem weird to her—just quiet like she was.
Judging by the excited gleam in Felicity’s eyes, she wasn’t feeling the same messy mix of feelings about their mom that Norah was. “It’s a good lead too. Do you remember Evan Sage?”
The name rang a bell, but Norah had to think hard before saying, “He was a deputy who moved away sometime last year.”
“That’s the one.” Charlie grinned as she cast a sideways glance at Felicity. “He got a job with the police department in a small town in North Dakota—”
“South,” Felicity interjected.
“Right.” Giving a little shrug, Charlie accepted the correction with good grace. “I always get those two confused. I wish they’d just merge into one big state called Dakota. Anyway, apparently he’s still obsessed with our Fifi here.”
Bennett made an unhappy grumbly sound, but Charlie ignored him.
“He texted her when he spotted Jane on some security footage, taking a five-finger discount at their local Walmart just an hour ago. Store security didn’t manage to catch her, so they passed the case to the local PD.”
“He’s not obsessed with me,” Felicity said mildly, giving her husband a reassuring pat on the arm.
Without pausing, Charlie continued, “Obsessed Deputy Evan sent over the video files from inside and outside the store. Could you go through them and make sure it’s Mom and if you can spot what she’s driving?”
“Of course,” Norah said, shoving her conflicted feelings aside as a spark of excitement grew inside her. As much as she knew she needed to learn the self-defense skills Dash had started teaching her, her first love was doing research, safe behind her computer screen. Although Leifsen had been popping up on her screen regularly with terrifyingly upbeat messages and menacing happy faces, she’d beefed up her laptop’s security even more, and she was pretty sure this time he wouldn’t be able to hack in. “Are the files saved in our shared drive?”
“You know it.” Releasing Norah, Charlie grabbed hold of Felicity’s and Bennett’s arms and towed them toward the door where their travel bags were waiting. “Text us if you find anything. We’re going to get on the road and head toward Dakota.”
“That’s not a thing,” Felicity complained as she freed herself from her sister’s hold in order to reach for one of the bags. Bennett got there first, hoisting up all three, making it look as if they barely weighed anything. Giving him a smile of thanks, Felicity turned back to Charlie. “You can’t just change two states’ names to make up for holes in your geographical knowledge.”
“But it makes so much sense. Thanks, B.” Charlie headed out the door, and her voice grew fainter as she crossed the front porch. “Think of how much embarrassment it would save people. I can’t be the only one who gets those two confused.”
“Bye, Norah,” Felicity said, rolling her eyes.
Norah smiled, liking that she’d been included in the joke.
“Bye, Molly and Cara!” Felicity called.
The two in the kitchen chorused their goodbyes, and Molly added, “Keep in contact, and don’t do anything stupid.”
Holding the door for Bennett, Felicity called back, “I never do anything stupid.”
Molly stuck her head into the living room. “Try to keep Charlie from doing anything stupid then.”
“I heard that!” Charlie yelled from outside.
“Good! Then you’ll know not to do anything stupid!” Molly shouted back, although she was smiling.
With a final quick wave from Felicity and another brisk chin lift from Bennett, they left, the screen door closing with its usual bang behind them. The sound, as familiar as it was, made Norah jump. It seemed to emphasize the finality of their exit. This might be the last time they had to chase after Jane.
Norah pulled her gaze off the closed door and headed into the kitchen. It seemed a lot quieter without Charlie, Felicity, and Bennett there, even though Molly was still talking to someone on her cell.
“Ready to research?” Cara asked with a smile that turned puzzled as she studied Norah. “What have you been up to? You look like you just ran a marathon or fell into a pond. Possibly both.”
Norah hesitated, nervously fingering the medical alert bracelet she’d gotten back when her asthma wasn’t yet under control. Although she hadn’t had to go to the ER for a bad flare in years, she still wore the bracelet. It had turned into a security blanket for her. She was reluctant to answer Cara’s question, but she wasn’t sure whether that was because she felt guilty for going to a trainer other than Felicity or because she wanted to keep Dash and her newly sprouted ambition to become a badass to herself for a while. Her giddiness over the second option made her uncomfortable, so she quit her mental debate and just blurted out, “I was at the gym.”
Cara’s eyes widened. Even Molly, who was supposed to be paying attention to the person on the other end of the line, looked intrigued. “What gym?” Cara asked, the corners of her mouth lifting as her eyes sparked with interest.
Before Norah could answer, Molly was saying into the phone, “Gotta go. Potentially fascinating things happening here.” There was a short pause before she snorted a laugh. “Yes, more fascinating than you. It is possible, you know. Love you. Bye.” Ending the call, she shoved her cell into her pocket without looking away from Norah. “You went to a gym? Why? Doesn’t Fifi torture you enough?”
“Who was that on the phone?” Norah knew her stalling tactic wouldn’t work—at least not for long—but she needed a few moments to get her thoughts together. Molly and Cara would feel the guiltiest if Norah explained her true reasons for wanting to learn how to fight. After all, she’d been their backup when her inability to defend herself had become glaringly evident. Also, she didn’t want to be taken off her current case. She had to keep Leifsen away from her sisters, plus it was personal now. She was going to bring him down.
“John Carmondy, of course.” Cara was the one who answered. “Who else does Molly love except for us, and we’re all here—well, we were all here before Fifi, Bennett, and Charlie left.”
“It could’ve been Lono,” Norah argued. “She loves her dad.”
“Quit stalling.” Molly narrowed her eyes into the stern glare that was guaranteed to make Norah fold. She should’ve known that her sister would see right through her. “What’s going on?”
“I…um…I wanted to take some MMA lessons?” Her voice turned up at the end, and Norah knew she’d failed. Her sisters wouldn’t believe her weak excuse for a second, and then she’d have to tell them the truth about her stalker and that she didn’t want to be the weak link anymore. She couldn’t live with the idea that she might be the reason they were killed or injured, all because they trusted her to act as backup and she’d failed miserably. Both Cara and Molly were eyeing her suspiciously, and she braced for the coming inquisition.
“Why would you suddenly decide that you’re interested in fighting of any sort?” Molly asked. “You don’t even duck our punches when we spar.”
“Uh… It’s actually an interesting sport? An art form even. He’s—I mean, it’s beautiful.” Norah resisted the urge to close her eyes and sigh at her utter hopelessness.
The silence from her two sisters was charged as they looked at each other and then back at Norah. The sheer glee in their expressions made her pretty sure they hadn’t reached the correct conclusion, and she let the air out of her lungs in a quiet breath of relief.
“Is all this”—Molly sketched a circle in the air, encompassing Norah’s entire sweaty and bedraggled form—“because of a guy ?”
“A really fit MMA guy?” Cara, who was usually her steadiest and most practical sister, sounded positively giddy. “One who insists that the only way to learn is if he puts his strong, sinewy hands on you to guide you through each movement?”
Even Molly’s eyebrows flew up at that, and she turned to stare at Cara. “Where’d that come from?”
“That movie Henry and I watched the other night. The one with the hot Samoan boxing coach?”
“Oh, right,” Molly said.
Both of her sisters refocused on Norah, their obviously eager anticipation of what she was going to say next making her panic a little. She didn’t even know how she felt about Dash. How could she explain him to her sisters?
“It’s not… I mean, there is a guy, but that’s not… He’s not…” She trailed off, caught by her inability to explain Dash’s allure. Hot was the wrong word, conjuring up an inaccurate Hollywood-pretty-boy image. Dash was compelling and solid, and he laid out ideas in a way she could understand. He was capable of building her up and giving her hope, something she’d never expected from gym sessions filled with drills. This was why she hadn’t wanted to share him yet, while the idea of him was so unformed yet potentially life-changing.
As her tongue-tied silence lengthened, her sisters’ expressions grew even more pleased and excited, making her face burn. She knew her normally light skin was currently bright red, digging her deeper into the hole she needed to climb out of.
Just go with it , her inner voice urged. It was an easy way out of having to explain her true reasons, which would only make her sisters feel bad or worried enough to sideline her yet again . Saying she found Dash enormously hot felt dismissive, as if she were reducing him to nothing but a flat image. It would be a small price to pay to protect her sisters from hurt though.
With a sigh, she held her hands up in a shrug. “Fine. He’s… hot .” It tasted like a lie on her tongue, but it did the trick.
A sound that could only be described as a squeal emanated from her sisters in stereo, and Norah winced from both the decibel and the attention.
“It is a guy! You voluntarily went to a gym because you’re interested in a guy!” Cara was positively giddy. “What about the sinewy hands thing though? Was I right about that part?”
“Our little Norah is all grown-up,” Molly cooed, making Norah cringe. Molly’s delighted laugh was contagious though, and she found herself giving her sisters a reluctant smile.
“Well? Spill!” Cara prodded.
Norah stared at her blankly. She’d already spilled about the whole gym thing. What more did her sisters want?
Cara rolled her eyes affectionately as she clarified, “What’s his name? Description? How’d you meet him? Are you dating or just working out together?” Cara’s eyebrows bobbed up and down suggestively, making Norah choke on a laugh.
The truth was she’d found out about Dash’s gym online, and it was rated the best in the area for mixed martial arts training. She hadn’t set eyes on Dash until she’d forced herself to walk into his gym, but that didn’t fit with this version of events she was letting her sisters believe.
With perfect timing, Molly’s phone beeped, distracting her and saving Norah. After Molly read the text, she looked up at her sisters. “New plan. John’s picking up a skip and asked me to act as backup, so you two are it for research until I get back. Norah, you’ll tackle the security footage of Mom while Cara takes over investigating the hacker.”
“No!” The protest was out before Norah organized her thoughts, sheer panic filling her at the thought of Leifsen turning his attention to sweet Cara, who’d already been through so much. When both her sisters turned surprised faces toward Norah, she scrambled to think of a way to justify her protest. “Um…she’s already working on that embezzler case. Besides, I’m at a…ah…sensitive spot in my research. The security footage of Mom won’t take me long.” I hope.
Her sisters looked baffled by her muddled explanation. Molly sent a look toward Cara, who shrugged, so Molly turned back to Norah. “That’s fine, I guess?”
Relieved, Norah stood, wanting to get away before they questioned her. “Okay. I’m going to look at the store footage.”
She headed upstairs, motivated to get through the store footage as quickly as possible. Not only was Leifsen a creepy stalker, but he’d likely had a hand in stealing Cara away. Helping to bring him in would be doubly sweet.
***
Hours later, Norah decided that one circle of hell had to be watching store security footage nonstop. She wasn’t sure what terrible thing a person would have to do to get sentenced to an eternity of that though. Her eyes were having trouble focusing, so she blinked rapidly and looked away, taking in the dimly lit details of her tiny room. It was officially a largish closet, but sharing a room made her anxious and unable to sleep, so she’d converted the tiny space into an improvised bedroom as a teenager.
The closet window showed the fading light of evening. Norah stared outside, still blinking to get her distance vision back after spending half the day staring at her computer screen. Just enough sunlight remained to emphasize the dark shadows. Usually she appreciated living on the edge of a national forest, but at this time of day, when the trees stood stark and spooky against the indigo sky and her imagination inserted monsters into every creeping shadow, a part of her wished for the constant ambient light of a big, never-sleeping city.
Her stomach growled, making her jump and then laugh at her momentary startle. It was pretty sad to be scared by her own body’s noises, and it definitely meant she needed a break. Standing, she stretched out the kinks and then headed downstairs to the kitchen.
Sitting at the small table that worked as a desk, Cara looked up from her laptop and blinked. Norah had to smile at her sister’s cloudy expression, sure that it matched hers from just a few minutes ago. The transition from research mode to reality wasn’t an easy one.
Cara smiled back before transitioning to a yawn as she glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Whoa, where’d the day go?”
That wasn’t really a question that Norah could answer, so she just shrugged and stuck her head into the fridge. Felicity’s insistence on all of them eating healthily made it harder to find a quick meal, but there were eggs and cheese and veggies, and Norah could make something with that.
“Molly isn’t home yet?” she asked, her brain instantly filled with terrible scenarios of what might’ve befallen Molly and John.
“She’s spending the night at John’s. The skip pickup went off as planned, but I’m assuming they have a lot of adrenaline to work off now.” Cara smirked.
“Oh.” Norah wasn’t sure how to respond to that, not wanting to picture her sister having sex, so she stayed quiet and opened the egg carton.
“What’d you find?” Cara asked, her tone carefully diffident. When Norah glanced over, her sister was studying a sticky note with more intensity than it deserved.
“Mom stealing things,” Norah said baldly, feeling guilty when she saw Cara wince before her sister quickly smoothed it away. “Want an omelet?”
“Sure. It really was her then?”
“Yeah.” Picking up an egg, Norah held the cool, smooth oval in her hand as she studied Cara. Even though Jane had proved to her daughters over and over that she wasn’t a reliable person, it still came as a shock every time she did something like this. Norah wasn’t sure if they’d ever get used to their mother’s disregard for the law—or for her own children. “She took a bunch of travel toiletries and a few smaller electronics and then drove away in a red Honda Accord with a Colorado plate. I think the last letter was an L, but I’m not one hundred percent sure about that. She left the parking lot and headed west on the frontage road next to the store, but she could’ve gone anywhere from there.”
By the time she’d finished summarizing what she’d found, Cara’s expression had returned to her usual calm. “You let Fifi, Bennett, and Charlie know?”
“Yes.” Norah cracked the egg she held into a bowl and then added three more. “I wish I could’ve gotten the entire license plate number.”
“You gave them a lot to work with,” Cara assured her. “With that and a place to start, they’re going to track her down in no time.”
I hope so. We don’t have much time to spare. Jane’s first court appearance was coming up in thirteen days. Norah didn’t say that out loud though. Cara knew as well as she did that they were down to the wire. Instead, Norah changed the subject. “How’s your research going?”
“Eh.” Cara wiggled her hand from side to side in a so-so gesture. “Okay. The guy’s slippery, but he thinks he’s smarter than he really is.”
“They always do.”
“Right?” After a short pause, she asked, “How are those omelets coming?”
The gentle reminder made Norah realize she’d stopped beating the eggs as they’d talked, so she refocused on the meal prep. “Sorry.”
“No problem. Your brain’s busy.” Cara’s sigh was almost soundless. “Lots going on right now.”
Norah focused on the eggs so her sister couldn’t see her expression. Even more than you know.
***