Page 27 of A Sister's Secret

As Maggie’s house receded into the night, like a nightmare fading at the break of dawn, Lisa forced herself to glance in the rearview mirror. No silhouettes gave chase; no footsteps echoed after her. Only the winding road stretched behind, empty and silent.

"Safe," she gasped, allowing the word to fill the cramped space of the car, a tentative balm to her frayed nerves.

Yet, as relief mingled with the adrenaline coursing through her veins, a part of her ached with the knowledge of who had lurked in the shadows. That face that had been obscured by the dark yet recognizable to her and those rough hands that sought to harm her.

The very thought was terrifying.

Lisa knew one thing for sure: the threads of this story were far from unraveled, and she would follow them wherever they led. For now, though, she focused on the road unwinding before her, each mile a step back to the life she fought so fiercely to protect.

Lisa's grip on the steering wheel was white-knuckled, and the engine’s hum was a steady companion to the erratic beat of her heart. She sped along the moonlit road that cut through town, her thoughts careening as wildly as her vehicle. The chilling encounter at Maggie’s house had left her with more than just the sting where she'd been grabbed.

"I’m not letting you get away with this," she whispered into the void, the statement meant for the shadowy figure who had attacked her. It was the same statement she'd made to herself countless times about the circumstances shrouding Michelle’s untimely death. This person wanted to intimidate her, to keep her from digging too deep, from unearthing secrets best left buried in the frozen ground.

Her headlights threw long shadows across the road, and in the brief moments when fear subsided, Lisa allowed herself to think of what had brought her here—of Oliver's sister, a woman whose laughter once filled the rooms of his childhood home, now silenced. The recollection tightened around her chest like a vise. She remembered his accounts of the silent meals at the house after she left, the looks exchanged that were heavy with things unspoken.

Oliver's sister had struggled against currents both seen and unseen, battling demons that Lisa had only glimpsed. She'd fought for love in a place where it seemed in short supply, reaching out for connections that repeatedly slipped through her fingers like fine sand. And then, one day, she had vanished, leaving behind an aching void that echoed with the questions no one dared to voice.

"It all comes down to Sammy…" Lisa pondered aloud.

The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine, merging seamlessly with the chill of the night air that seeped through the car's vents. The truth was out there, somewhere beneath the layers of silence and snow, and Lisa felt it calling to her—a siren song that promised answers but also warned of peril.

But who would believe her?

She blinked away the beginnings of tears, not of fear but of frustration. Oliver's sister deserved justice; her story begged to be told, and Lisa would be the one to tell it, no matter the cost. Her resolve hardened, becoming impenetrable as the permafrost holding this town in its icy grip.

"Whatever secrets you're hiding," Lisa murmured, eyes fixed on the road ahead, "I will find them. I will get you."

And with each mile she put between herself and the house, her determination grew, fueled by the knowledge that the key to unlocking the past lay within her grasp. The fight at the house had shown her the depth of her own strength, the fierceness of a mother and wife who would stop at nothing to protect her family, honor a memory, and bring a hidden truth into the light.

With her hands tight on the wheel, Lisa's thoughts whirled like a snowstorm in her mind. She could almost feel Oliver's sister beside her, a ghostly presence filled with anguish and secrets. The pain of being misunderstood, the burden of family strife, and the final, crushing despair that must have enveloped her before she vanished all resonated within Lisa's heart, drawing out a profound empathy for the woman she'd never met.

"Oliver," she whispered to the emptiness, "I'll prove to the world what happened to her. I promise."

Her voice wavered, not from doubt but from an overwhelming sense of purpose. It wasn't just about solving a mystery; it was about honoring a life cut short and about bringing peace to those left behind.

A shiver ran down her spine as she considered the implications. The assailant had been real, flesh and blood, driven by motives dark enough to attack her. This person was dangerous and wouldn’t stop until she was silenced. But fear wouldn't deter her. For Oliver, for justice, and for closure, she couldn't let the specter of danger extinguish her quest.

Her eyes caught a glint on the dashboard: the keys that had pierced her attacker’s shoulder. They now symbolized more than just her escape; they were a testament to her resolve. She gripped them briefly, feeling their cold metal against her skin before letting them go again.

"Okay, Lisa, focus," she murmured, steering her thoughts back to the task at hand. The roads may be deserted, the evening silent except for the thrum of the car's engine, but she wasn't alone in this. She carried her family's strength, her husband's love, and the resilience that life had hammered into her soul.

Her gaze flickered to the rearview mirror, half expecting to see headlights tailing her, but there were none. Only shadows chased her now—shadows of doubt and fear that she swiftly banished with the thought of her children.

She grabbed her phone, called Maggie, and told her what had happened. She then told Maggie to meet her at the café with the children. They’d have to spend the night there tonight.

"No one is going to hurt my family," she declared, her voice steady and sure. The road stretched ahead, winding through the darkness, a metaphor for the journey she was on. Uncovering the truth would be treacherous, possibly even deadly, but she'd walk through fire before she let the unknown threaten her loved ones.

As the miles passed, Lisa allowed herself a moment of vulnerability, the night's events catching up with her. Her chest tightened, not with panic, but with the fierce love of a mother bear protecting her cubs.

"Justice will be served," she vowed, her words a silent oath to the stillness of the Alaskan night. And with each turn of the wheels, her determination became a beacon, piercing through the veil of fear and uncertainty, guiding her inexorably toward the truth that lay hidden within the heart of their small town.

She then called Oliver and said with tears in her voice, “We’re coming home.”

Chapter Twelve

The chime of the cell phone cut through the hum of the café like a sharp knife, pulling Lisa from her thoughts. She wiped her hands on her apron as she glanced at the screen, expecting nothing more than the usual business-related message or a text from one of the kids. Instead, the words that met her eyes were stark and unadorned, yet they sent a shiver down her spine.

"I got something. Meet?"

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