Page 86 of Strangers She Knows

After that, how could Kellen leave?

Max carried Rae to her bedroom and placed her on the bed.

Luna followed, and curled up beside her child, desperate to offer comfort.

“We have ipecac,” Max said. “Let me find it.”

Kellen caught his sleeve. “It’s been too long. The drugs are in her system. We need to flush them through. Bring a sports drink, something with electrolytes.”

“Have we got that?”

“Your mother sent it ahead in case someone got a stomach bug.”

He nodded and headed downstairs to the pantry.

All the time they spoke, Rae was mumbling, “I liked her. I thought she was nice. I knew I shouldn’t not tell you, but I thought she was nice. Why would she hurt me? I liked her. I thought she was nice.”

Kellen wet a washcloth in warm water and slid it across Rae’s forehead. “Who? Who did you like?”

Kellen’s warm, coaxing voice caught Rae’s attention, yet she stared at her mother as if she didn’t know her. “Miranda. Miranda Phillips.”

“Of course.” Mara had barely bothered to change her name.

Luna curled into the curve formed by Rae’s knees, and whimpered, begging Kellen to make things right.

Kellen passed her fingers over the dog’s forehead.

Rae caught Kellen’s wrist in a small, fierce hand. “I warned her.”

Kellen returned her attention to her daughter. “What did you warn her of?”

“I warned her about the storm. I warned her about Dylan. I told her…Jamie is missing.” Tears leaked from the corners of Rae’s eyes. “Poor Jamie. Where is she?”

Max returned at a run, a sports drink in his hand. Together Kellen and Max lifted Rae and poured the bottle down her throat.

Rae drank thirstily. Her body knew what it needed—but had they been quick enough?

They could only wait.

The sun set in a violent gasp of red, pink and purple as deep as a bruise.

Night descended. The storm began its true assault. The wind howled. Rain slammed at the mansion. Max and Kellen took turns lifting Rae to her feet and walking her, back and forth.

Kellen put her into the shower and got in with her. She washed her hair and helped her bathe.

When they came out, Max was sitting on the floor with Luna, picking the grass seeds and thorns out of her paws, covering them with cortisone and wrapping them in gauze. “Luna’s nails need to be trimmed,” he said. “When this is over, we need to take her to the groomer.”

Rae dropped on the floor beside her dog and placed her head on Luna’s back, and for long, wrenching moments, she sobbed her apologies to them all.

Luna put her paws on Rae’s shoulders, licked her face, cried with her if a dog could be said to cry.

Max and Kellen returned to walking Rae back and forth, to pouring sports drinks down her throat, to talking to her in the hopes of bringing her out of her madness and back to normalcy.

Finally Rae begged to be allowed to rest, and Max and Kellen couldn’t stand to torment her anymore. They let her recline on her bed.

For one moment, Rae’s gaze cleared, and she said to Max, “Daddy, I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Then she was gone, unconscious.

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