Page 112 of A River of Crows

Dylan stepped farther into the room. “There’s not another attic entry in here? There’s a draft coming from somewhere.”

“No,” Sloan said. At least she didn’t think there was. She scanned the popcorn ceiling. “The draft was coming from the window.”

Dylan walked into the closet and looked up. “It’s in here. An attic access door. It’s open, so she’s been up there. I knew I heard something.”

Sloan grew dizzy. Black spots clouded her vision. “Come on.” She latched onto Dylan’s arm to steady herself. “Get me to Tyler and fast.”

Chapter 31

Mallowater, TX, 1989

Caroline reviewed the list of everything she needed before she backed out of the driveway. She was rushing this, but a deranged man grabbing Sloan at Leo’s Drug Emporium had sped everything up. “Just let Sloan come stay with us awhile,” Libby had said. “No need for you to leave town without having a solid plan.”

But Caroline couldn’t chance it. It was time to get Ridge back. It was time to get the hell out of Texas.

It could have been random, another stranger abduction like that Pruitt boy years ago, but what were the odds? Caroline feared someone was on to her. Just as she'd taken Ridge away from Jay, someone was trying to take Sloan away from her. And she couldn’t go to the police. If the cops knew someone tried to kidnap Sloan, they might wonder if someone took Ridge, too. Then, Jay might get a new trial. He might get away with everything.

Caroline had told the kids they’d move to New York. She had an old college friend she’d counted on crashing with, but that was before their story became national news. One of her old Cornell professors had even sent her a sympathy card. She couldn’t just show up there with her daughter and dead son. But hopefully, she could show up with them in Columbus, Ohio. She would be able to continue her studies there in avian biology. No, it wasn’t Cornell, but she’d read about a large crow roost in a nearby town.

This would not be as easy as she’d planned. They’d all have to change their names. Vince knew a guy who would help with that. And Sloan and Ridge would have to homeschool for a while. Give people plenty of time to forget Ridge’s face and story.

She’d call Walt in the morning and tell him she and Sloan just needed to get away—that they were going to sort out her dad’s estate in Ohio. Walt didn’t need to know that the estate was in Oklahoma and was already settled. In fact, it was the money from the sale of her father’s house that sat in the safe in her back seat, along with his pistol.

Caroline would eventually tell Walt that they’d decided to stay in Ohio. Then she’d return to get another load of items and ready the house for sale. But if something prevented her from returning, they had everything they needed and enough money to get by for a while.

Sloan hardly spoke during the first leg of their drive. She just leaned against the window, listening to her sad country songs. Country music made Caroline think of Jay, and thus, she could never enjoy it again. She was glad to kill the engine—and the radio—when they filled up the tank at the By and Buy.

Despite the tough times that lay ahead, Caroline was looking forward to reuniting with her baby boy. Ridge had probably grown an inch since she saw him.

Caroline parked and glanced at the clock on the dash. They were early. She needed coffee for the fourteen-hour drive ahead of her to Ohio. It would be hard, but then they could crash in a hotel tomorrow night, and Caroline would wake up Monday refreshed and ready for apartment hunting.

Caroline grabbed her purse. “Are you hungry?”

“Why would I be hungry at one in the morning?”

Caroline clenched her fists. Leave it to her teenage daughter to suck the joy right out of the car.

Caroline walked inside and bought a large cup of coffee, telling the weary woman at the counter to keep the change. A decision she immediately second-guessed. Caroline didn’t want to stand out in anyone’s memory, and that gesture may have set her apart from other customers.

She regained her composure. It wasn’t a big deal if someone remembered her or Sloan stopping here. As long as they didn’t see Ridge getting into her car, everything would be fine.

Why had Libby suggested meeting here? A secluded place might be smarter, but then again, not necessarily. Two cars in a field at this hour might stand out; two cars at a gas station would not.

Caroline wondered if she’d be on edge like this for the rest of her life—thinking through each step, looking over her shoulder? She hoped not, but if this was how it had to be, it was worth it to see Jay punished. Anything was worth that.

They weren’t here. Why weren’t they here? The Turners were never late to anything and were forty minutes late. Forty minutes. Caroline felt a physical pressure inside her—like she was being squeezed. She grasped the sides of her head and breathed deeply, trying to regain control. When it didn’t work, she went back inside for a pack of cigarettes. She didn’t let the cashier keep the change this time.

Sloan was awake when Caroline made it back to the car. “Mom? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, Sloan. I don’t know what’s wrong,” she said, fumbling to open her cigarettes. Why did they wrap them up in plastic? It would just end up in a landfill somewhere. “Dammit!” she screamed, throwing them against the dash.

Sloan reached across to unwrap the package. “Here you go.” Sloan handed her a cigarette.

“Thanks.” She lit the cigarette and took the first puff. Her heart resumed its regular rhythm, and Caroline told herself that this was all just a misunderstanding.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” Sloan said. “And I’m thirsty.”

“There’s money in my wallet. Get whatever you want. This is all a misunderstanding. It will be okay. We’ll be on the road soon.” Maybe saying it out loud would make it real.

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