Page 113 of Long Road Home

Jax took her phone and put it on speaker.

“What’s she saying?” Maizie’s voice came through, all crackly.

“Dunno, kid. Looks like she’s onto something. What’s up with you, kid?”

“It’s been good with Elizabeth,” Maizie said. “She signed me up for a women’s gym, and we go a few times a week to walk on the treadmill. She said I need to get exercise and drink water.”

A women’s gym was a great idea. Kenna figured that would be a lot less daunting than a gym with random men walking around, setting off whatever instincts Maizie had randomly and without her being able to control it. Plus, going to a local gym meant the girl didn’t spend all her time in one trailer. Health and healing went hand in hand. Kenna had learned that.

Maizie continued, “Anyway, Jennifer Rayland’s mother disappeared as well later on. She did all her degrees online, it looks like. And when it came to getting licensed, she had the previous Door County psychologist sign off on all her hours. That guy retired right after she started practicing.”

“Maybe he was just waiting for someone to take his patients,” Jax said, “and it was a convenient time to be done working.”

“He disappears like the parents did. There are photos of his retirement party on Facebook. And right after that, his posts and interactions just…stop.”

“Like he’s dead. And her parents are both dead. And herson is dead…” Jax paused. “Because I’m sensing a serious pattern here.”

“Is she the kind of person who could’ve done that?” Maizie asked.

“I’ve never met her,” Jax replied. “Right now, we’re just trying to find her.”

“Me either.” Kenna peered at the under side of the loose photo. “Huh.” She tugged the image off the wall. On the back someone had sprawled in pencil. Gibberish or… “Chemical compounds?” She pulled the whole page off and held it with both hands. “Ideas, dates, plans. Notes. Reminders.”

“Like Elizabeth’s vision board?” Maizie said.

“Or collecting ideas before that, writing notes to herself so she could do that later. Set all her dates and tasks.”

Jax surveyed the room. “We never would’ve noticed that if you hadn’t seen it.”

“Anyone who came in here would be distracted by this horror show. They’d have missed what was right in front of their faces.” Just like they would have if one page hadn’t been loose and bowed in the middle on one side. “We need to turn everything around so we can see what’s on the back of all the pages.”

Someone banged on the garage door from the outside.

She turned to it.

“The fire department is there,” Maizie announced..

Jax frowned. “Why didn’t we hear the sirens?”

“And we should be able to hear them yelling,” Kenna said. “They’d better not try to open the garage door.”

“There isn’t even a mechanism. They’d have to cut the door out.”

“Which I would totally do if I was a firefighter because that sounds awesome. But they’ll destroy evidence.”She went to the door that led to the house and banged on it. “Hello! Can anyone hear me? Hello?”

Jax turned. “Is this room seriously soundproof?”

“If it is, then that garage door is lined with something.” And she didn’t like the sound of whatever happened in here being inaudible to anyone outside. A place purposely made to keep screams within the walls.

Jennifer Rayland had a list of things to answer for.

And before this was over, it might grow even longer.

Jax pointed. “And it’s sealed like no garage door in history has ever been sealed. Because those things are always drafty.”

“I could shoot the lock,” Kenna said.

He glanced at her, then handed her the phone to hammer on the door and kick it with his boots. One leg. Then the other.

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