Stop doubting me.
Then nothing, there was nothing at all, but a blissful darkness. But from somewhere in that emptiness, Natalie felt a tug, not unlike the one Tina had given her arm some hours ago. This one, however, came from within, like a pull toward consciousness. As the sensation grew more imperative, Natalie forced open her eyes, allowing sips of light to hit her corneas. It took a moment for her vision to focus and when it did, she saw the taillights of Audrey’s Kia on the move.
She had no idea how long she’d been sleeping. It could have been a minute or an hour. When she checked the clock on the car dashboard, she calculated that she’d been asleep for twenty minutes. What had happened while she was out?
Natalie snapped wide-awake. She got her finger on the button to start up her car engine. But before she could give it a push, something else caught her eye. A black Audi A8 had pulled directly behind the Kia as if the two vehicles were departing at the same time. Something about the rear of the car drew Natalie’s gaze. Her vision was still slightly out of focus and the rain made it difficult to see, but Natalie could make out a dent on the right side of the Audi’s back bumper.
She put her car in drive, then stopped short as a car she hadn’t seen sped in front of her blaring its horn. She suddenly felt woozy, and wasn’t sure she could maneuver her vehicle safely. Both cars faded from view, but not before she had made two observations:
Michael drives an Audi A8.
And his car has a large dent in the right rear bumper.
CHAPTER 16
NATALIE
The motel was the kind Natalie would never have stopped at, the sort she’d expect to see on a Dateline episode, a place where the body had been found. The white clapboard siding had plenty of chipped paint, some of the shutters hung askew, and the grass, if it could be called such, looked like their lawn after they’d left it for two weeks in the heat of summer without setting the sprinkler. Still, the place had plenty of vacancies, it was cheap, and it happened to be directly off the highway, making Natalie’s getaway much easier should the need arise.
She couldn’t imagine how Michael would track her and the kids to this shabby place in the middle of Nowhere, Pennsylvania, but he was nothing if not resourceful. She found it easy to envision how the “reunion” might go should his efforts prove successful.
There’d be news coverage, of course. A father reunited with his missing kids was good for ratings. She had no doubt Michael would be all smiles and gratitude under the glare of the camera lights. He’d ooze his praise for the first responder types who had aided him in his desperate search. In the next breath, he’d tearfully express empathy for his poor, poor wife, who had such terrible insomnia that she’d suffered delusions, causing her to lose control and act impulsively. Once the cameras were off, however, Natalie was certain the real Michael would emerge.
And soon after, another news story would take place.
A family annihilated by their father.
Natalie often wondered how it might end. Would it be a murder-suicide, or was Michael too weak to take his own life? Probably he’d try to blame it on an intruder before the police put the cuffs on him. Either way Natalie, Addie, and Bryce would all end up in the afterlife, if such a thing existed.
That’s why she had to get the kids to Missouri, to her friend Kate’s farm. In a roundabout way, Kate owed her. It was Kate Hildonen who, many years ago, had suggested they go to the party where Natalie met Michael. No party would have meant no Michael; no threat to her life. Kate owed her all right.
Natalie and Kate had lost touch over the years, but Facebook is a fabulous connector. In her messages Natalie kept it vague, revealing only that she and the kids were driving to St. Louis to meet family and could easily detour to Elsberry for a visit. Kate wouldn’t dig into that story, though if she did, it was possible she’d find out that Natalie had no family in St. Louis.
She’d send Kate her new phone number in the morning, in case she saw a social media post about a missing family. Kate would call her and she’d explain the situation, at least in part. Once they were together, perhaps over a bottle of wine, Natalie would reveal the whole truth behind her unexpected visit. The real story would be far easier to digest in person, she reasoned.
From the safety of Kate’s farm, Natalie would be able to plan her next move, map out her escape. She’d file for divorce. What she had on Michael might not put him behind bars, but it would be enough to grant her sole custody of Bryce and Addie. She was counting on it. Then, she could start the process of rebuilding her life anew.
That’s how the story went in her head anyway.
It was almost midnight, but thankfully a night manager was on duty. Natalie took the kids with her into a wood-paneled office that had the feel of a 1970s basement. The portly man reading a newspaper behind the desk reeked of cheap cigars. He didn’t ask any questions. His eyes didn’t linger on Addie and Bryce. If he were at all suspicious, he kept it well disguised.
Natalie gave the room key to Addie. It was a real key attached to a big plastic keychain, and the novelty wasn’t lost on the children, who went racing ahead to room 237 with gleeful innocence. Her poor kids were in the middle of all this, like it or not. And even if Natalie could explain the danger they were in, it was unlikely they’d believe it or be able to comprehend it.
Natalie brought the suitcases from the car into the room, along with the three bags of new purchases she had picked up at Walmart, including a new stuffed bear that Bryce lugged around like an obligation.
The kids had used up all their excess energy on the novelty key, so by the time they got the door unlocked, there was no magic left in them. After putting on their pajamas and doing a haphazard job of brushing their teeth, each child fell into bed with the thud of a fallen tree. There were two twins; Natalie would sleep with Bryce.
Little Bryce said, “Will we get to see Daddy tomorrow?”
Natalie’s heart did a stop/start. She brushed his cheek tenderly, gazing into those beautiful coffee-colored eyes he inherited from his father—a reminder that there’d always be a part of Michael with him, no matter what happened.
“Maybe not tomorrow, love,” she said, stroking his cheek as he clutched his new bear. “It’s been a long day. Let’s get some sleep.”