“You're my weirdo, momma.”

  “I love you too, baby girl.”

  She truly loved her daughter and wanted to make her happy, but she refused to deal with Matt a second time that night. Once Gwen was out of sight, she hobbled off the bar stool, telling Troy she was headed for the bathroom. Walking down the resort’s long flight of steps proved difficult with all the tequila sloshing through her gut and making her head delightfully woozy. As a warm drizzle began to fall, she made it out to her Acura and fumbled to find the right button on its fob to unlock the door.

  “Mom?” Gavin called out as she was slipping behind the wheel. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Sweetheart, I’m fine,” she told him. “Your sister is just being paranoid.”

  He leaned into her open window. “Is dad really cheating on you?”

  “I don’t wanna talk about this with you,” she slurred, patting his hand gripping the windowsill. “Everything will be alright, m’ sweet boy.”

  “You’re not driving anywhere, Mom.”

  As she started the engine, he continued to stand outside the car, yelling at her to stop.

  As the car neared Pelican’s Pass, the sky opened to release a heavy downpour. It was eerily similar to the storm the night Bella went missing. Mia gasped when a hazy memory popped into her head.

  * * *

  Bella, crying.

  A hand clamped over Mia’s mouth.

  A deep, throaty whisper of, “Scream and you’re next.”

  * * *

  Lightning filled the sky in blinding flashes.

  A tire blew.

  The wheel spun, overcorrected.

  The brakes squealed.

  There was blood. Blood everywhere, on her hands and face.

  Then nothing.

  PART IV

  Mind’s Betrayal

  * * *

  “I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”

  -Alice in Wonderland

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  One year after the accident on Pelican’s Pass, Mia spotted her sister’s oldest friend promenading through the parking lot towards the grocery store. Mia hurried back to her car with an armful of groceries and her key fob in hand. The chance of running into Tom Tribeau or his wife was one of many reasons she hardly left the house anymore. Having to drive anywhere was another. On the rare occasions she was forced to go somewhere, she didn’t have the energy to deal with any sort of drama.

  “Don’t pretend like you didn’t see me, Mia Martin!” Nicole called out, her nasally tone more annoying than ever. “We need to talk!”

  “Damn it,” Mia muttered, depositing the bags inside the trunk of her Camaro before closing the door. She flipped her sunglasses up to rest on her head and glared in the direction of the woman who had once ridiculed her for having a crush on Matt. In gray athletic leggings that accentuated her shapely rear and a pink tank top tied in a knot to highlight her augmented breasts and unnaturally smooth belly, Nicole wore the exact same kind of uniform her daughter, Madolyn, wore to cheerleading practice. Only Mia doubted Nicole had any athletic activities in mind as her shoulder-length, ashy locks were perfectly styled in big curls, and a thick layer of dark bronzer made the apples of her cheeks glow. She’d tried her hardest to be perceived as more beautiful than Bella in high school. Cosmetic procedures and hair extensions had only made her appear plastic.

  Nicole and Mia were never meant to get along in this lifetime—or the next. Nicole was delusional enough to believe all her daughter’s male friends fantasized about her. Not only that, but she was the textbook definition of a helicopter mom. Tom’s generous income as a civil engineer allowed her to stay home and raise their kids, giving her the time to stick her nose into a little bit of everything. She served on the school board for half a decade, ran the booster club, and founded a network intended for parents to tattle on anyone’s kids who stepped out of line. Meanwhile, Mia indulged in cannabis while in sweatpants, and listened to records while her kids attended keggers—just as long as they had a sober driver arranged.

  Nicole’s icy-cold blues swept over the leather interior of the blue convertible Mia had purchased with a portion of the settlement money from Matt, figuring she owed herself a treat for all the years she’d endured his infidelities.

  “What do you want, Nicole?”

  Nicole approached with exaggerated caution, likely afraid Mia would bite. Mia decided there were no promises she wouldn’t. She wondered how hard her fingers would have to squeeze around Nicole’s warm flesh before she’d draw in her final breath. She wondered if someone had done the same thing to Bella. How easy was it to kill someone? Was she strong enough to do the deed, even if Nicole put up a fight?

  With a flicker of empathy crossing Nicole’s expression, she eyed Mia’s wild, strawberry-blond hair in dire need of a trim, and continued down to her faded Alice in Chains t-shirt. “I hope this car means you fared well in the divorce. Rumor has it Shady Oaks just started a five million dollar reno. If I were you, I would’ve gone after Matt’s balls.”

  Although the amount was shocking, Mia kept her expression neutral. Gwen had mentioned her dad was starting a renovation, but the resort was no longer any of Mia’s business. The judge overseeing their divorce had sided with Matt, and ruled that Mia wasn’t fit to run it on her own. She’d been well compensated for her share, but she was grateful her parents and Gigi hadn’t been alive to watch their legacy slip through her fingers.

  Snorting, Mia returned her sunglasses back down to the bridge of her nose and hit the unlock button on the fob. “As much as I’d just love to hear more of your unsolicited opinions about my failed marriage, I have far better things to do.”

  “I thought you’d like to hear the latest rumor going around about Gwen.”

  Mia’s teeth clenched together. Nicole wanted to spread more gossip about her kid? She spun back around, barely able to contain the rage simmering beneath the surface. “What is it now?”

  Nicole straightened her spine and lifted her shoulders. “The kids are saying—”

  “More like Madolyn is saying,” Mia clarified.

  Lips pursed, Nicole crossed her arms. “I’m trying to be helpful.”

  “Like the time you helped Madolyn humiliate Gwen in front of the entire school? I’ve experienced your idea of help, Nicole, and I don’t want anything to do with it.”

  “I can understand why you’d be angry,” Nicole said. “I’m truly sorry about everything that happened between the girls last year. Especially after Bella…then your accident. You’d been through enough already. If I could take it all back, I would. I swear.”

  Fury electrified Mia’s limbs, spreading through her heart like a black cancer. That was the moment she contemplated strangling Nicole until her eyes protruded from their sockets, and her tongue dangled from her lips.

  Instead, Mia set her hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “You can stick your apologies up your ass.” She proceeded to shove her back a step, watching in satisfaction as Nicole’s plump lips parted and her blue eyes widened. “Keep spreading rumors about my daughter, and I’ll show you anger like you’ve never seen. It’ll be the last mistake you’ll ever make.”

  Nicole spread an open hand across her collarbone, fearful gaze darting around the parking lot. Mia’s heart stuttered with the sight of Farah Hanson, wife of the high school’s athletic director. She breezed past in her best Sunday dress even though it was a Friday. Her prying gray eyes contained a hard, curious look. As nosy as that woman had always been, Mia feared it wouldn’t be long until the details of their argument were printed in the local newspaper.

  “Good afternoon, ladies,” Farah greeted them with a tight smile.

  Neither of the women replied. Nicole’s eyes darted in the opposite direction.

  Farah continued toward the grocery store, glancing back over her shoulder at them one last time before she was swallowed up by the building’s automatic doors.

  Nicole turned back around. “Why are you threatening me, Mia?” she half-whispered. “I’m simply trying to be helpful after everything—”

  “That was no threat,” Mia interrupted, with a small shake of her head. “That was a promise.”

  By the time Mia returned to her two-bedroom cottage on the north inlet of Lake Shetek that early evening, and took in the placid scene outside her collage of fixed windows, the argument with Nicole was long forgotten. The first time she’d stepped inside the lakeside home with a realtor, her anxiety over finding a new place to live had instantly vanished. She’d fallen madly in love with the open layout beneath cathedral ceilings lined in walnut, the quaint kitchen with a soapstone island, and the small living room area overlooking the lake that was perfect for an easel and her oil painting supplies. The attached garage was large enough to store the grinders and chemicals needed to create her aluminum pieces.

  The wide deck in the back provided a stunning view similar to the one she’d had from her bedroom in her childhood home—the same home Matt had gutted and remodeled before renting out for a cool 5k per night. The cottage’s market price had been a hundred thousand over what she’d planned to spend, but ended up being worth every last cent. At sunset, she’d often capture the brilliant hues of pink and gold spreading over the lake with her brush. Since the divorce, she’d been inspired to paint more than ever before. And she’d become self-sufficient, utilizing the skills she’d learned from her father after Bella’s disappearance. She replaced her deck’s worn rails and re-stained the entire surface, repaired leaky faucets, and sealed faulty windows. Leaving Matt had freed her in more ways than she knew possible.

  After she unloaded groceries from her car and put everything away, her back began to throb and ache. It was always worse whenever she left the house for errands, spending more than a handful of minutes on her feet. With the soft patter of rain falling on the cottage roof, memories of Bella’s disappearance and the accident intertwined with unwanted clarity.

  * * *

  Gavin leaned into her open window. “Is dad really cheating on you?”

  Bella quirked an eyebrow and giggled. “Since when do you care about Matt?”

  One of the car’s tires blew.

  The boat roared as the engine skipped over a high wave and became air-born.

  The car’s steering wheel was overcorrected, brakes pumped.

  The boat landed on the rocks with a jarring thud.

  The car careened off the edge of the cliff.

  Bella’s skull crashed into her pelvis.

  * * *

  The night of her car accident, new memories of Bella’s abduction had broken through just seconds before her life literally flashed before her eyes. She didn’t recall anything from her childhood, or her marriage to Matt. She only saw endless images of Gwen and Gavin as newborns…toddlers…gap-toothed kids…defiant teenagers. She thought of Ben, and how much she missed him. Her final thoughts…visions of Bella broken and covered in blood…had been crippling. But had she truly seen Bella that way, or had her drunken mind only created the idea?

  The last thing she remembered was the impact of the car on the rocks, and a jolt to her spine.

  Several days into her hospital stay, the man who’d investigated her accident on behalf of her insurance company had stopped by her room. He’d reported there’d appeared to have been puncture wounds on a back tire, but it’d been hard to say for sure with the overall condition of the car, and let her know it was a miracle she’d survived the impact from the fall. After her final procedure, the back surgeon told her it was a miracle she’d been able to walk again.

  She’d begun to despise the word miracle. It was meant for people who had beat cancer, or soldiers who survived IED blasts. The accident had only left her with unbearable pain and misery.

  Getting high while listening to music from her younger days did a decent job of dulling the pain and soothing her nerves. As the rain fell harder outside, Mia munched on an edible and thumbed through her vinyl collection, humming to herself. As she put the needle on a rare Beastie Boys vinyl, she was reminded of her life before Matt re-entered it with the force of an anvil, and she didn’t have any concept of the crippling effects that could be caused by fear and anxiety. She thought of Ben and Bella…of the carefree summer nights they’d spent with Liz and a kinder version of Matt.

  Aside from her art supplies, the records had been the only thing she worried about losing in the divorce since Matt had also brought a fair amount of them into their relationship. She still pretended to care about everything else, and fought for every little petty item right down to the gaudy wine glasses her sister-in-law had given them as a wedding present. She got a charge out of doing anything that caused Matt pain and misery.

  A few records into her trip down memory lane, her cell phone buzzed with a call. She let it go to voicemail while grabbing one of her favorite Stone Temple Pilots albums. She hummed along to the bluesy tune, limbs warm and tingly from the edible. Rain struck the roof like a thousand tiny steel rods.

  She jumped when her phone buzzed again. Cursing, she fished it out from the nest of pillows on the couch. Gwen’s beautiful face flashed across the screen. Mia sighed, knowing Gwen’s father would be livid if he discovered she’d used her phone while she was supposed to be waiting tables at the resort. Reluctantly, Mia answered.

  “Mom?” Despair strained Gwen’s voice. “Can you come get me?”

  Mia bolted upright, causing a knife-like pain to shoot down her spine. It had been years since she’d heard Gwen sound so young or afraid. A vivid bolt of lightning temporarily lit her surroundings. Her insides spasmed with the clap of thunder that came a second later. Too often, rainstorms still had a debilitating effect.

  “Gwen, what’s wrong?” Mia whispered.

  “I just…I’ll explain later, okay? I’m at Heidi’s house.”

  “Why aren’t you at Shady Oaks?” Heart racing, her eyes darted to the storm outside her windows. The roads would be flooded. And Heidi lived on the south side of the lake. Just beyond Pelican’s Pass. Ever since the accident the previous summer, Mia had gone out of her way to avoid taking that route. She’d secretly vowed to never drive on that path again. “Can’t your dad come get you? Or Gavin?”

  “Oh, Mom…” Gwen let out a tired sigh. “I was hoping you were having a good night. I really need you right now.”

  Blinding dread tightened in Mia’s chest.

  She sent Gavin a text to see if he’d give his sister a ride. When several minutes passed without an answer, she reluctantly retrieved her keys.

  If Gwen needed her, she had no other choice.

  Pelican’s Pass glistened with rainwater in Mia’s headlights. The barrier of hundred-year-old oak trees lining either side of the road bent and shook with violent gusts of wind. Every nerve in her body sizzled as she gripped the steering wheel tightly and leaned forward, attempting to make sense of the blurred path ahead. Her night vision had declined in recent years, adding halos around lights and signs, and providing a shallow depth perception. Too many times she’d mistaken mailboxes for deer on the side of the road, and missed turns she’d taken half her life. Her optometrist insisted it was only a part of old age, and not another side effect of the accident.

  Matt had replaced her Acura, even though they’d separated at that point. She figured it was because he felt guilty for arguing with her that night. She often wondered if it was because he’d actually punctured her tire like the investigator suggested. During warmer months, she kept the new crossover in the garage. It didn’t occur to her that she should’ve brought it out that rainy night until the Camaro’s tires caught in a puddle.

  For a heart-stopping moment, it hydroplaned across the asphalt. She released her foot from the accelerator to ride it out. Although she’d never been a religious person, she even said a little prayer. Panic snaked up her throat, causing her entire body to seize in terror.

  The treacherous curve of Pelican’s Pass was getting nearer.

  A heart-stopping moment later, the tires finally caught on a patch of dry asphalt, righting the car’s path with the road once again. Mia gulped for air, tears of relief trickling down her cheeks, and shifted into park.

  She was immobilized by fear. It was too close of a call.

  Once her senses returned and her heart slowed, she debated turning around. Someone else would give Gwen a ride—maybe one of Heidi’s parents, or her older brother.

  Then Mia noticed something farther ahead on the shoulder—a black vehicle…maybe an old sports car, like a classic Charger or Impala. She only recognized the body type as it was close to the car Ben had been driving when they reconnected all those years ago. It was odd to see a car parked on the pass that late at night. It was possible the driver needed help. But the vehicle’s lights were off, and there wasn’t any movement from inside.

  With another blink of the eye, her headlights caught something in the road. It could’ve been a person, or it could’ve been her tired eyes playing a cruel joke. She squinted through the windshield. The wipers struggled to keep up at full speed, leaving wavy streaks behind.

  The blurry object ahead moved, splitting into two. She couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing. Two animals? People? They were still a quarter of a mile away, and didn’t seem affected by the flicker of her headlights. She couldn’t decide if they were dancing or fighting.