“He must be chasing something. I’ll call him in a while.”
He climbs onto the other side of the bed, slides closer to me, and rests his head against my shoulder, his lips cool on my bare skin. I feel as though spiders are crawling on me. We watch the news together, but it’s just flickering images. I can’t take in the information. I’m listening to every sound and waiting for him to drink his water, but he hasn’t moved toward it.
“I brought you water. I thought after all that wine…”
“Thanks, honey,” but he’s still watching the TV. Like he actually cares what’s happening in the world. Like it’s just any other night of the week. Finally he turns and takes a sip of his water, then makes a quizzical face.
“I put lemon in it,” I say.
“Doesn’t really go with toothpaste.” He puts the glass down.
I stare at the TV, despair and panic chasing each other in an endless loop. How much did he swallow? One mouthful? That won’t even make him drowsy. I try to think how long it’s been since Sophie and Jared went to bed. Fifteen or twenty minutes? Not enough time.
Ten more minutes pass. I try not to look at the clock too often, pretend to fiddle with the alarm. Marcus slides down, rests his head on the pillow. I keep glancing at his face to see if his eyes are closed, but he seems fascinated by the news—and not the least bit tired. I can’t wait any longer. I have to see if the kids are gone. I might be able to sneak out while he’s engrossed.
“I’m going to call Angus.”
“Okay.” He doesn’t look over. I ease to the edge of the bed, walk out, and close the door behind me. I pause, listening. I can still hear the TV.
I creep down the hall toward the back of the house and push Jared’s door open, peer into the dark room. The window looks like it’s closed. I stare at the bed, wait for my eyes to adjust. A huddled shape. What went wrong? I have to get him out of here.
I move quickly inside, touch Jared’s shoulder, and feel softness. I push again, and almost sag in relief. It’s a pillow. I close the door and move down the hall, holding my breath as I cross in front of the bedroom door, then head up the stairs to Sophie’s room. I smell fresh rain, shiver in the cold air. The bed is near her open window, a sheet still tied to it. They made it.
I’m halfway back down when my shoulder brushes against a frame on the wall, pushing it with a loud scrape. I stop, wait in silence. Did he hear? The wind is loud outside, gusts making the house shake and moan. I start moving again, set my feet down lightly on each step.
“Everything okay?”
I jerk back with a startled gasp. Marcus is standing in the shadows at the bottom of the stairs. How long has he been there?
“I heard something, but it was just the wind,” I whisper. “Kids are fine.” I take the rest of the steps, pause in front of him.
“One of the windows might’ve broken in the storm,” he says. “I feel a draft.” I don’t like the way he’s peering up the stairs with a frown, like he’s thinking about going to check.
“Everything looks okay. Sophie’s under a few blankets.”
“You find Angus?” He’s facing me now. I hope this means he’s decided to leave the windows alone, but I’m not in the clear yet. He’ll be suspicious if I don’t want to search for Angus. Then it comes to me. That’s exactly how I can escape.
“Not yet. I’m going to look around outside. He must be hiding from the storm.” I walk toward the bedroom, praying that Marcus follows. I have to get him away from the stairs.
“It’s blowing pretty hard. I’ll come with you.”
I grit my teeth, glad he can’t see my face. He’s just being polite. I can still get out of this.
“I’ll be fine. One of us might as well stay dry.”
“I can’t let you go out there alone.”
We’re in the bedroom now. I can’t protest anymore or he’ll catch on. I grab a sweater from the drawer, pull it over my shirt, and slide on some jeans. I delay for a few moments as I rummage for socks. What if Angus is waiting at the front door? We’ll have to come back inside. Maybe I can break away, run into the forest, hide somewhere. I’ll have the element of surprise.
Marcus picks up his silver flashlight from the night table. “Ready?”
The wind almost yanks the door out of my hand as I open it, snatches at my coat. I press my hood tight to my head, glance around. I don’t see Angus. He’s never disappeared like this before. He must be with Sophie and Jared. Marcus is behind me. I need him to walk ahead.
“Angus!” I shout into the wind.
Marcus whistles loudly, the noise piercing through the storm. I stiffen, count my breaths. Stay away, Angus. Stay away. Each moment drags into the next. I can hear the rustle of Marcus’s rain gear as he shifts his weight, the rain beating against my shoulders.