Light from Her Mirror (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 3) (18 page)

Sleep
was elusive that night and came only in snatches. Each creak of the logs walls,
every brush of a limb or rustle of leaves, each stir of breeze, each hoot of an
owl or bark of a far-away dog brought the sisters out of their restless slumber
and whispered insecurities into their ears. Long before the sun was fully up,
they were on their second cups of coffee.

“Well,
that went well,” Kenzie groaned, ruffling her dark curls with a weary hand.

“I
slept pretty good from about one fifteen until about two. What about you?”

“I
got most of my sleep between three and four.”

“So
maybe tonight we’ll take turns. No sense in both of us staying up all night
long.”

“We’ve
got to stay out here again tonight?” Kenzie groaned.

“We
might as well, don’t you think? We leave tomorrow.” Her voice was heavy. They
had no more answers now than they did when they arrived, and their time was
quickly slipping away. “How about some breakfast? We have the makings for
scrambled eggs and toast.”

“Well,
if we can’t sleep, we might as well eat.”

“One
of my personal mottos, as you well know,” Makenna grinned.

As
they worked together to produce the simple fare, they discussed the possibility
of talking to neighbors.

“There’s
not really any houses down this road. We would have to go out on the highway,
and then we would be more exposed,” Kenzie reasoned.

“I
wonder if that truck in the yard runs.”

“Even
if the motor starts, it can’t run far. The tires are dry rotted.”

“And
the battery is probably dead.”

“Still,
I bet it would be worth some money. It looks like it is in excellent shape,
practically mint condition.”

Makenna
looked up from stirring the eggs, her expression one of surprise. “You want to
sell it?”

“I
guess. What else are we going to do with it?”

Makenna
was slow in answering, finishing the eggs before transferring the skillet to
the bar. “I thought we might could get it running and use it when we’re up
here.”

“As
in we plan to come back?”

“Well,
sure, I guess. I mean, we own a house here and it’s a beautiful place to
vacation. Why? Don’t you intend to come back?”

Kenzie
shrugged. “I don’t know. I know New Hampshire is sentimental to you, because
this is where you met Hardin and fell in love, but my memories aren’t so good.
Bernard Franks and all.” The bread popped up from the toaster and she carried
it to the small eat-in bar.

She
hopped onto a stool and reached for the small jelly jar, but stopped
mid-motion.

“Kenzie?
Are you all right?”

“I-I
think I remember something,” she whispered. “I think I remember sitting here as
a child, waiting for breakfast. Our-Our mother was standing there, wearing some
sort of apron. It looked like one of those from the old television shows,
gingham with lace. Yellow, I think.”

Makenna
gripped her sister’s hand. “Kenzie, you have a memory!” she whispered in awe.

The
fleeting glimpse into the past was already gone, but it was the first time she
had recalled anything pleasant about her past, except for the one happy memory
of playing outside. It was, they both hoped, a beginning.

“So
what do you plan to do with Yoko?” Makenna asked as they picked up the
conversation.

“I
guess I haven’t thought about it.”

“We
could always leave her here, and hire a taxi to take us to the airport.”

“Maybe.
That way if we did come back here on vacation, we would have something to
drive. And if the truck runs, we’d have two vehicles. Hardin would like that.”

“I
miss him so much,” Makenna said miserably. “I wish I could call him.”

“We
can’t take the risk of our phones being tracked. And if you call him from that
throw-away phone, he would know something was up.”

“I
know, I know. That’s why I’ve been good and not talked to him in five long
days.”

“Yeah,
well, I’m going on thirteen.”

Makenna
could hear the misery and worry in her sister’s voice. “He’s going to be okay,
Kenzie. And maybe by the time we get home he’ll be done with his undercover
assignment and you can talk to him every day.”

“I
wonder if he’s tried to call me. He might think I’m mad at him and not
answering on purpose.”

“In
which case he would call Hardin and find out we are on a cruise. Or that we’re
supposed to be, anyway.” Makenna gave a worried frown. “I hope Hardin forgives
me for this!”

“He
doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to hold a grudge. He’s pretty easy going.”

“For
the most part, you’re right. But he’s a different man when he’s upholding the
law. He might laugh and joke around a lot, but behind that badge he can be
downright scary.”

“He’ll
forgive you, Sis. Now Travis on the other hand…”

“He’ll
forgive you, too.”

“I
don’t know. We seem to have one of those love/hate relationships. And so far,
most of the love seems to be on my end.” Kenzie sighed, propping both elbows
onto the bar as she sipped her coffee. Her lids were already sagging. “Is it
time for our nap yet?”

“I’ll
wash the dishes if you want to lie down for a little while. I think I’ll wait
to take a nap, but I probably can’t make it through the day without one.”

“Since
we’re stuck out here in the woods, I thought maybe we could do a little
exploring today. Poke around in the well shed, walk along the property. Let’s
go this morning, before it gets too warm.” Kenzie grinned and added, “Then we
can come back and take our nap.”

***

They
spent most of the morning exploring the woods behind the cabin. The terrain was
rocky and the undergrowth thick, but a few trails led along the side of the
foothills, worn down by deer and other wildlife. Following the trails, Kenzie
took her camera and snapped several pictures of the natural beauty around them.
Maybe vacationing here would not be such a bad thing.

They
were especially excited to find a small stream winding down from the mountain
and a low but charming waterfall. They made plans to visit the falls again,
perhaps having a picnic there that evening. In an overgrown field not far from
the cabin, they found another hidden treasure, a small but neglected orchard.
The trees were in need of pruning but were heavy with offerings of apricots and
pears. Laughing with delight as they picked all the fruit they could carry, the
sisters made their way back to the cabin with much lighter spirits.

“Let’s
look inside the truck,” Makenna suggested as they finished lunch. “Maybe
there’s something in the glove compartment that could be useful.”

“It’s
worth a try, I guess. I’ll get the key from the china cabinet and see if it fits.”

A
few moments later, the truck door swung open without protest.

“Oh
my gosh, is that a rat I just saw?” Makenna squealed in terror as she swung the
door open.

“Judging
from the half-eaten seats, I would say yes.”

“Okay,
this is your department.” Makenna stepped away, holding her hands up in
surrender. “I’m done.”

“Chicken.”
Kenzie made a squawking sound as she leaned inside the vehicle and reached for
some papers on the dash. “Looks like something nibbled on these,” she said,
handing the papers to her sister. “So much for our mint-condition sale. Looks
like the seats will definitely need replacing. But look, there’s a plastic tub
of some kind. Hopefully it was rat-proof.”

Kenzie
slammed the driver’s side door shut and went around to the passenger side. She
lifted out a large plastic tub and set it on the ground. Opening the glove
compartment, she pulled out the driver’s manual, a stack of tattered and chewed
napkins, and a handful of discarded candy wrappers. “This was definitely our
father’s truck,” she confirmed. “He loved this kind of candy.”

“I
wonder what’s in the tub.”

“Open
it and see.”

“There-There
might be a rat inside.”

“It’s
still sealed.” Just in case, Kenzie pulled the lid off, then stood back.
Makenna was at least twelve feet away, nibbling on her lip in worry.

“Oh
my,” Kenzie said, staring down into the tub.

“What?
It is horrible?” Like a spectator drawn to a horrific wreck, Kenzie stepped
forward. “Little baby mice? Rats? A huge nest of them?”

“N-No.”
Kenzie shook her head. “No mice. The tub was sealed.”

“Then
what is it?”

Kenzie
reached into the tub and pulled something out. The expression on her face was
odd, a pensive mix of sorrow and joy. Holding it up for her sister to see, her
voice came out strangled as she showed her the framed photograph. “Us.”

Makenna’s
hands flew to her mouth. “The-The pictures from the house!” she breathed.

“They
must not have had time to dispose of them.”

“Oh,
look, Kenzie, this is our parents’ wedding!” Her voice hitched as she took the
photograph out and held it up for closer inspection. “They-They look so happy.”

“This
is you. Look at those freckles!”

“And
that one is of you. Look, you’re on a swing set. That swing set, actually.” She
pointed to the sad, sagging contraption in the yard. “I guess it was red at one
time.”

“Let’s
take these in the house so we can spread them all out and look at them better.”

The
tub was heavy, stuffed full of picture frames and photo albums. Each sister
grabbed a handle, but still had to stop twice to get a better grip and to draw
a deep breath. They moved as fast as they could, both eager to see the
treasures stuffed inside. They were making their way through the doorway when
they heard the sound of an approaching vehicle.

Kenzie
gasped. Makenna faltered, dropping her side of the tub. “What do we do?” she
breathed.

“Let’s
get inside and lock the door. Maybe they won’t come all the way up to the
house.”

“Did
we close the truck door?” Makenna worried.

Kenzie
gave the tub a hard shove to scoot it across the threshold. “I’m not sure, but
it’s too late now.”

Without
a spoken word between them, they began turning off lights and fans. They ran to
the living room, locked the front door and closed the windows, pulling down the
blankets they had tied aside just that morning. The additional cover made the
house immediately darker, more sinister. They worked their way to the back of
the house, closing and latching all the windows, then hurried back to the front
window to peek out.  

“It-It’s
her,” Makenna confirmed, her voice little more than a squeak. “The woman from
the cafe.”

“How
did she find us?”

“Shh!”

Kenzie
hung back as Makenna watched through a tiny slit. The silver Cadillac rolled to
a stop just beyond the littered front porch.

“What’s
going on?” Kenzie hissed. “What’s she doing?”

“She’s
stopped the car.”

“Is
she still in the car? Is she alone?”

“Yes.
It’s only her, and she’s just looking around the yard. Uh-oh, now she’s looking
this way.” Makenna moved back from the window, holding her breath as if it
would make her somehow invisible.

“Maybe
she’ll go away. It looks like no one lives here.”

Makenna
dared another peak. “No, she’s getting out of her car.”

“What
do we do?”

“Did
you get the gun?”

“No,
I thought you did!”

“I
thought you had it. Go get it. But be quiet! She’s coming toward the porch
now.”

Kenzie
slipped stealthily toward the dining room, where the pistol rested on the
table. The gun felt heavy in her hand. As soon as she stopped trembling, she
would retrace her steps to the living room. She hoped she would not shoot her
foot off in the process.

The
blankets made the room dark, but she could see Makenna’s silhouette by the
window. From the looks of it, she, too, was trembling. Sneaking back toward her
sister, Kenzie stumped her toe on the end table beside the couch. She bit her
lip to keep from crying out and almost lost her grip on the gun. Her grip on
sanity was only slightly more secure.

“Where
is she?” Kenzie mouthed the words as she slipped up beside Makenna at the
window.

Using
her finger to point, Kenzie motioned toward the door. Both women flattened
themselves against the wall, daring not to breath, as they heard scraping
sounds from the other side of the door. When the handle rattled and moved just
a fraction, Kenzie could not stifle the sharp intake of her breath. Makenna
jerked involuntarily, knocking the gun from her sister’s trembling hands. It
clattered to the floor and landed with the barrel pointed haplessly toward the
wall.