Page 72 of The Ice Sisters

Had she imagined it?

Perspiration dotted her forehead and she leaned against the wall to listen. Another banging sound, but it was more faint. The furnace maybe? The water heater?

Nerves cinched her belly, and she lifted her fist and knocked on the door.

Nothing.

“Claire?”

The banging grew harder, more rapid, and she fished the extra key from her pocket and jammed it into the lock. At first, it stuck, but she pulled it out and flipped it upside down then tried the key again.

The click of the lock seemed amplified by the morose silence, almost as loud as the beating of her heart roaring in her ears. Slowly, she twisted the doorknob and pushed at it until itscreeched open. It took her a moment to adjust to the pitch-black interior but she shined her flashlight into the space and her breath stalled in her chest.

Dear God. Claire lay on the floor, her body so still that Barb realized her worst fears had come true.

Claire was dead.

EIGHTY-SEVEN

EMERALD FALLS

Mazie slipped through the streets, hiding in the shadows of the crowd as she hid the pills she’d stolen inside her jacket. The man from the drugstore was chasing her.

“Come back here, you little thief!”

Mazie’s cheeks burned with shame, and she spotted the taco lady and darted behind her food truck. The man searched the crowd, growled, then spun around, cursing. Mazie peered around the corner of the food truck and saw the man tower over the nice taco lady.

“Have you seen a little redheaded girl?” he barked.

The taco lady wiped her hands on her apron. “No, why?”

“She stole some aspirin from the drug store.”

“Well, I don’t know where she is,” the woman said. “Now you best get back to your store before someone takes more than aspirin.”

“If she comes by here, tell her she’d better bring the bottle back.”

“Si.”

Mazie held her breath until he finally gave up and headed back to the drug store.

Tears of embarrassment caught in her throat.

But the taco lady appeared and pulled her up against her. She smelled like hamburger meat and cheese and fried tortillas. Mazie couldn’t help but burrow into her for a minute. She was warm and her plump belly felt like a soft pillow.

“It’s okay, bebe,” the woman whispered as she stroked Mazie’s back. “What’s your name?”

“Mazie,” she whispered as she clung to the lady. She wished she could stay in the kind woman’s arms forever. But then she remembered her mama and how sick she was so she pulled away.

“I have to get back to Mama,” she choked out.

The nice lady nodded, then slipped two more tacos wrapped in paper into Mazie’s coat pocket and handed her two bottles of water. “Take these. And no more stealing. You come to me if you need anything.”

Mazie nodded then dashed from behind the booth to head back to her mother. When she reached her mama, she was still shivering beneath the blanket.

“Mama, I got water and aspirin and food from the nice taco lady.”

She shook her mother’s arm to wake her but when her mama opened her eyes they were foggy and glazed over. Then she slumped to the ground and passed out.

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