by Boone, Lisa
“What did you do to my sister?”
“Nothing.” Using his chin, he gestured to the stairs. “Go see for yourself.”
Madison set Rory down on the floor. “What are you doing here?”
“Celebrating the New Year with the ones I love.”
“That’s great.” She backed up to the hallway as his boots slipped to the floor. Spinning around as he rose to his feet, she ran into her grandfather’s library, making sure to keep one eye on Jamie, as she rummaged through her grandpa’s desk drawer. She took her eyes off him long enough to find the key to the gun cabinet.
She turned back and craned her head to the side, trying to see where Jamie had disappeared to as she took out a revolver and loaded the gun.
When she finished, she cautiously stepped out into the hallway.
Jamie was standing near the door, his rifle slung over his shoulder, and a dark stocking cap over his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of gloves.
Hands shaking, Madison lifted the gun. “Please leave.”
Jamie reached behind him and unlocked the door. “Do you know how to use that thing?”
“Just had my first lesson this week.”
He smirked as he opened the door. “Good, lock the door behind me,” he said, stepping out into the cold.
“Don’t worry, I will.” She slammed the door after him and locked it before bounding up the stairs with Rory hot on her heels.
“Sarah!” she yelled as she raced to the guest room.
Sarah screamed as Madison burst into the room. She raised a hand to her heart. “I really wish you would stop doing that.”
Madison ran up to her sister. “Are you okay? What happened to your leg?”
Sarah dragged the towel off her head. “You are the second person who has asked me about my leg tonight. Did you send the cops out here to check on me?”
Madison blew out her breath in relief as she laid the gun on the dresser. “I thought you were hurt.”
“Why on Earth did you think that?” Sarah asked rubbing the towel against her wet hair.
“I got a text from you saying you had fallen.”
Sarah looked at her strangely. “I didn’t send you a text.”
“I have a feeling it was Jamie. What is he doing here? You promised—”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “Jamie’s here?”
“He was sitting at the dining room table when I arrived.” She looked at her sister’s shocked expression. “You didn’t know?”
“No,” Sarah said stepping into the bathroom. “I didn’t tell him where I was.”
“Well, he found you. He’s outside now, standing guard at the door, or at least, that’s what I think he’s doing.”
Less than a minute later, Sarah stepped out of the bathroom, wearing jeans and a blue sweater. She looked out the window. “He can’t be out there in this weather?”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m pretty sure he’s got pneumonia or the flu. I can’t get him to go to the doctor to find out.”
“Really? He looked pretty healthy to me.”
Sarah reached for her boots. “I’m going to go bring him inside.”
Madison’s mouth opened and closed reflexively. “Are you insane? We’re not bringing him in here. Do I have to remind you that he’s a convicted killer?”
“I thought Ethan was the one trying to kill you?”
“He is. Look, just because Ethan is guilty doesn’t make Jamie innocent. The man tricked me into coming here tonight and I’m betting he’s the one who disabled your car.”
Sarah sighed as she crossed her arms. “He’s trying to protect us.”
“Or he’s waiting to finish us off. For all we know, Ethan hired him to do the job for him.” Madison saw the doubt in Sarah’s eyes and decided to switch gears and appeal to her sister’s emotion. “Sarah, I’m your sister. I’m scared to death right now and I don’t want that man in here.”
Sarah’s shoulders sagged as she sat down on the bed. “Okay.”
“Thank you.” Madison reached into her pocket as her phone began to ring. “Hi, Becca, I was just about to call you. It was a false alarm. Sarah’s fine.”
“That’s a relief. Have you seen the news yet?”
“What news?”
“Ethan’s out.”
“They released him? How? They had more than enough evidence—”
“They didn’t release him. He escaped. It’s all over the news.”
She felt lightheaded. “How long ago?”
“I don’t know. I just found out about it a few minutes ago. DOT’s put out a winter warning. They want everyone to stay off the roads tonight. If I were you, I’d stay there. Ethan doesn’t know where you are and he’s going to be too busy hiding from the police to do anything to you tonight.”
“I can’t count on that.” Madison sat down next to her sister. “It might be a while before I get in touch.”
“If you need anything, just call.”
“I know. Thank you, Becca. Good bye.” She laid back against the bed. “Ethan’s escaped.”
Sarah laid down next to her. “We’re so screwed.”
“Yes, we are.”
“Are we going to find a hotel?”
“I barely made it here alive. The roads are a mess. We’ll have to wait until morning. Hopefully, we’ll be safe until then.”
“How long until midnight?”
Madison lifted her arm up and looked down at her watch. “About an hour and fifteen minutes.” She glanced down at her evening gown. “I’m going to change.” She sat up, only then remembering that she didn’t bring any clothes with her. She tipped her head back and blew out a disgusted breath. “I didn’t bring any clothes with me.”
Sarah gave her sister a sheepish smile. “Well, I have good news. Turns out, I forgot to pack all of your clothes when we left here a few days ago,” she said, standing up.
“Yeah, I figured that out when I unpacked.”
Sarah reached inside the dresser drawer and handed Madison a black turtleneck sweater and a pair of jeans. “What are we going to do tonight?”
“Praying sounds like a good idea about now.”
“I haven’t stopped since all this started.” Sarah stopped at the door. “I’ll go downstairs and make some coffee.”
“Good idea. I don’t really want to go to sleep tonight. I have to stay awake just in case he finds us.” Madison lay back down and stared at the ceiling. “Just in case.”
§
10:51 P.M.
Madison kneeled on the window seat in the kitchen and checked the locks on the windows behind the kitchen table.
Sarah, who was sitting at the kitchen island, pouring herself another cup of coffee, gestured to the windows with her cup. “You checked those windows ten minutes ago.”
Madison shut the drapes, crawled off the window seat and walked over to the farm sink on the other side of the kitchen. Standing on her tiptoes, she pushed the curtains to the side as she tested the lock.
“You checked that one five minutes ago.”
Madison tapped her hand against the sink nervously as she stared out at the snow piling up in the backyard. “It looks so pretty.”
Sarah grimaced. “It looks scary to me.”
“Yeah, that too,” Madison said, pulling the curtains closed. Turning around, she passed the dining room door and headed for the one leading to the living room. She hurried to the French doors, which led out into a wraparound porch and pulled aside the white sheer curtains.
The light blue down comforter from the guest bedroom caught her eye. She looked down, noticing a quilt, a blanket, a thermos, a portable heater, and a plate with a half-eaten sandwich lying next to the comforter.
“Is Jamie still out there?” Sarah asked.
Madison’s gaze shifted to the porch swing where Jamie sat hidden in the shadows and covered by a dark thick wool blanket.
“How many blankets do you think he needs?” she asked Sara
h as she glanced back down at the pile stacked near the door.
“It’s freezing out there. He’s liable to catch his death of cold.”
Madison closed the drapes. “How was the coffee?” she asked hoping to change the subject before her sister could make another plea to let Jamie come inside.
“Fine. We can’t let him sit out there all night in the cold.”
“I beg to differ.”
“If he wanted to hurt us, he would have by now.”
“It’s not midnight, Sarah. Alex’s not going to do anything until midnight.”
“Yeah, but Jamie isn’t Alex. Ethan is.”
Feeling the cold seeping in from the glass door, Madison wrapped her arms around herself and walked to the fireplace. She stared down at the fire as tears spilled over her cheeks. “I know that but… My heart tells me one thing, my head another. I don’t want to believe Ethan’s guilty but there’s too much evidence against him. I don’t know who to trust,” she said, her voice choking up. “I thought I could trust him but now…”
Placing her hands on Madison’s shoulders, Sarah gently turned Madison around until she was facing her. Sarah’s face crumpled as she wrapped her arms around her sister.
“I love him,” Madison admitted softly, holding Sarah tight. “I still love him.” She pulled away and wiped at her cheeks. Her gaze fell to the charm bracelet around her wrist. “Look at this. I haven’t even taken it off yet. I can’t bear to remove it. How could I still care about him after what he’s done? How? How do I stop loving him?” She choked on a sob and sank down into the chair next to the fireplace. “Because I don’t want to love him anymore. It hurts too much.”
Sarah shook her head sadly, as she kneeled down next to her sister. She took Madison’s hands. “I wish I had something I could say to make you feel better right now but… I don’t. They say time heals all wounds. I don’t know if that’s true, but I know that I love you and I will stay here beside you as long as you need me.”
Madison wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand. “This isn’t how I pictured myself ringing in the New Year.” An image of her in Ethan’s arms popped into her mind. She forced it away.
“Me either,” Sarah said. “We might as well make the best of it though. Why don’t we watch TV?”
Madison stood up. She reached around her back and pulled the gun out of the waistband of her jeans, then sat down into the leather chair facing the French doors. She placed the gun in her lap as she stared at the doors.
The white sheer drapes prevented her from seeing outside, but judging from the noise the wind was making and the sound of the trees near the house scratching the walls, she knew the storm must be in full swing.
Her suspicions were confirmed as the local news forecasters interrupted the New Year’s Eve broadcast on each major network.
The winter weather advisory had been upgraded into a winter weather storm that had dumped about six inches of snow in over an hour on the ground.
Madison glanced back toward the doors as the shadow of a man passed by. She laid her hand on the gun.
Rory growled a low warning before padding over to the window. He pushed the bottom of the drape to the side with his nose. With a soft little whine, he stood on his hind legs, his tail wagging furiously at whatever he saw outside the window.
Madison shook her head in disgust. “Some watchdog you are.”
There was a soft creak as the shadow passed back in front of the window.
Rory’s tail picked up speed.
Madison looked at her sister. “Why doesn’t he bark or growl?”
“He likes Jamie.” Sarah lifted her head off the cushion and patted the floor next to the couch. Rory ran over to her and sat down next to her hand. She lazily ran her fingers through his fur. “Jamie’s the one who rescued him from that dumpster on Christmas Eve.”
Madison looked at her sister curiously. “Was Jamie the friend you went to take care of the other day?”
Sarah’s gaze bounced around the room. “Um…I.”
“Sarah!”
“He was sick. He doesn’t have anyone. I couldn’t just leave him alone.”
“How close are you two?”
Sarah pursed her lips together in a tight line. “It’s not like that.” She rolled over onto her back. “Trust me. He has absolutely no interest in me, whatsoever.”
Madison raised her eyebrows at the bitterness in her sister’s voice. “Somehow, I have the impression the feeling isn’t mutual.”
Sarah lifted her hand as she examined her nails. “That’s silly, just because I don’t want him to die doesn’t mean that I’m in love with him.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve just been trying to be nice to him because he’s been nice to me.”
“Uh huh.”
Sarah’s voice turned hard. “He’s been flirting with me ever since he arrived but the moment—”
They jumped at the sound of Madison’s phone ringing.
Madison picked up her phone and looked at the display. “It’s the police,” she said before answering. “Hello.”
“Where are you?” Ethan asked.
“You stole a cop’s phone too? Why am I surprised?”
“Madison, listen to me.”
Sarah sat up and hissed, “Why are you talking to him?”
“So, I can do this,” Madison said placing her thumb and forefinger in her mouth and letting out a shrill whistle.
She smiled when she heard a soft groan.
“What good did that do?” Sarah asked with a frown.
“Is that Sarah with you?” Ethan asked.
“Goodbye, Ethan,” she said, taking the phone away from her ear.
She just barely heard him ask, “Is Jamie there?”
Madison brought the phone back up to her ear. “Why do you ask?”
“He’s been following Sarah. If she’s with you, then so is he.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you talk to him.” She paused, waiting for him to say something else. When he didn’t, she brought the phone down.
“What did he say?” Sarah asked.
Madison set the phone on the end table. “He wanted to know if Jamie was here.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea.”
They turned their heads toward the glass door that led out to the wraparound porch as a phone rang.
Madison jumped to her feet and hurried to the French doors. She pushed the white sheer drapes to the side and looked out.
Jamie stood with his back to the window, a hand pressed against his ear.
“Who’s he talking to?” Sarah whispered from behind her.
“I have a feeling it’s Ethan.”
Madison turned the lock, wincing as it made a small sound.
Sarah clamped her hand down on Madison’s shoulder. “He heard that,” she whispered.
“Are you sure?”
“He turned his head toward the door.”
They glanced toward the window.
Jamie was still standing with his back to them, his head nodding occasionally.
Being as quiet as possible, Madison opened the door a crack.
“So I heard,” Jamie said into the phone. He laughed softly. “Well, gee, thanks for the heads up. I’ll be waiting.”
There was silence while Jamie listened.
Madison opened the door another inch, wondering if he had hung up. She was just about close the door when he said, “We’re at their grandpa’s place. You better hurry up and get here because the clock’s ticking.”
Sarah clamped a hand over her mouth as Madison shut and locked the door.
“Why would he tell him that?” Sarah asked, her eyes wide and scared.
“I don’t know.” Madison looked back through the window. Jamie was still standing on the porch. She watched as he stuck his phone in his pocket and rearranged his rifle on his shoulder before setting off toward the woods.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Zero
MONDAY, JANUARY 1ST
12:00 A.M.
Madison stared at the TV as the ball dropped in Times Square, nervously tapping her fingers against the leather chair. Her eyes flew to the grandfather clock as it began to chime.
“This is a good sign,” Sarah said with a hopeful note in her voice. “It’s midnight and we’re still alive.”
“I doubt Alex will give up and wait until next year just because he missed the countdown. Laura didn’t die until a few minutes after.”
Sarah laid her head back down on the couch. “I just think—” She sat up as Rory jumped off the couch furiously barking. The hair on his back stood up as he attacked the window.
Just then, the crack of a rifle rang out, followed by the sound of an engine revving and a crash.
Madison immediately dropped to her knees. When Sarah attempted to go near the window, she grabbed her sister’s wrist and pulled her down next to her.
Sarah immediately crawled over to the end table, picked up Madison’s cell phone and called the police. When she had explained what had happened, and been assured that help was on the way, she hung up. “Jamie must have shot him. I told you he was on our side.” She smiled slightly. “Best one hundred dollars I ever spent.”
Madison sat up with her back against the chair. “I can’t go out there,” she whispered. “I can’t see him…dead.”
Sarah winced. “I’m sorry, Maddy. I wasn’t thinking when I said that.” She reached over and turned the TV off before calling Rory to her. When she had the dog safe in her lap, she said, “You don’t have to go out there. I can identify the body if necessary.”
Madison laughed as she wiped away her tears. “We don’t know that he’s dead. This may not be over. What did the police say?”
“They’ll try to get here as soon as possible.”
Madison turned her attention to the fireplace. “I don’t envy them driving out this way.”
Sarah ran her hand over Rory’s head. “I wish Jamie would come back.”
“If he’s smart, he’ll get out of here as soon as possible.”
“Why?”
“It’s a violation of his parole to carry a weapon. Not to mention, he just shot someone who was driving up to our doorway.”
