Maybe there was at least something cooler in her bag, or something of her mother’s she could borrow. She went upstairs and rummaged through her mother’s dresses and was immediately transported back to childhood. Whenever Kathleen had vanished on another of her trips, Liza had sought sanctuary inside the racks of her mother’s clothes, allowing the scent to fill all the little gaps created by her absence. And here she was, doing it again even though she was past the age where she should be missing her mother.

She had her face buried in a vintage silk shirt when she heard the sound of footsteps in the kitchen.

She froze. Had she locked the back door when she’d come upstairs? Yes! She remembered turning the key. But despite that someone was in the house.

What was she going to do?

Hide? Here in the clothes? Under the bed? No, that would be the first place an intruder would look and then she’d be trapped.

She could jump out her mother’s bedroom window which faced over the fields, but then she’d probably break a leg.

Fear trapped the breath in her lungs. Her heart tried to hammer its way to freedom.

Could it be the same man who had broken in a few weeks ago? No. He’d been drunk and seeking shelter.

She stood up slowly. Her legs were shaking so badly she wasn’t sure she was capable of running anywhere even if the opportunity arose.

She heard the sound of a kitchen cupboard opening and closing.

Whoever it was didn’t seem to be making any effort to disguise his presence. Perhaps they hadn’t yet realized the house wasn’t empty.

She eased her phone out of her pocket and called the emergency services, then tiptoed into the bathroom and locked the door.

“Hello?” she whispered, terrified that any moment now the door would be smashed down. “There’s an intruder in the house. Help me.”

11

MARTHA

ST. LOUIS~DEVIL’S ELBOW~SPRINGFIELD

“Are you sure you feel up to traveling today? You’re quiet.” Martha loaded their bags into the trunk of the car. She’d learned that they had to be loaded in the exact same order or they didn’t fit. For someone whose underwear drawer was usually a tangled mess, she was proud of her achievement. The neatly packed trunk seemed to represent something, although she wasn’t sure what. Order?

“I can confirm my wish to travel.” Kathleen clutched the small bag that she kept with her in the car at all times. “We’re on a road trip and after those delicious pancakes for breakfast I’m full of energy.”