Page 25 of Fight or Flight

“Because we’ve never discussed your . . . personal life. I know it’s none of my business. Sorry to be so nosy.”

“I’m divorced, more than ten years. The happiest day of my life.”

Katherine couldn’t help but laugh. “Good. I mean, not good that you’re divorced, good that you’re happy.”

“We’re still friends and should have stayed that way. But then I wouldn’t have Stephanie, my daughter, Bethany’s mom. So that pretty much sums up my life.”

“Thanks for sharing that. I often wondered but didn’t want to pry.”

“Steph is probably about your age. She’s thirty-six. Teaches high school in town. Great kid.”

“Then she must take after her father. I’m thirty-seven, so yes, we’re close in age.” Katherine thought of the obituary. Tracie would’ve been thirty-six had she lived. She’d died two years ago. Poor Karrie. If it was all true, she sympathized with her.

“Okay, I gotta scoot. You know my number, K.” Doc gave a half wave and left through the open doors, with Sam and Sophie waiting impatiently to follow.

“Go on,” Katherine said to the dogs. She stood in the doorway, the cool air refreshing. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to leave the doors open. Autumn days could get chilly in the mountains, and the nights were downright cold.

Back in the kitchen, she rinsed out the wineglasses and returned the bottle of wine to the refrigerator, reminding herself to take the phones and other items she’d purchased out of the pantry. Katherine removed one of the phones from its heavy plastic wrap and read the instructions while waiting for the dogs to come back inside. She jotted down the phone number and charged the phone with the cord provided. If she felt she needed to contact the authorities or Karrie herself, she’d now have a phone with a number that didn’t have a North Carolina area code.

Katherine heard Sam and Sophie bolt through the door, their nails clicking on the wood floor. They would always go straight to the kitchen for their nightly treat. “Sit,” she said, then handed each a beef stick.

Leaving them to chow down, she locked the doors, returning to the kitchen to ensure the alarm was on. If they had another visit from a wild animal tonight, the alarm would activate and catch it on the surveillance cameras.

Once upstairs, she showered and went through her usual nightly routine. When the dogs were settled on the bed, she slid beneath the sheets, fluffed the pillows behind her, then booted up her laptop. She logged onto the fan page, hoping to catch Karrie online.

Bigfan216: Hi!

Blondebookbabe: What’s going on?

Bigfan216: Just finished homework! Ugh!

Blondebookbabe: I did mine in detention today!!!

Bigfan216: LOL, what’d you do?

Blondebookbabe: Told my science teacher to F off!

Katherine could not believe the language these girls used and seemed so comfortable with, even though she’d seen them use profanity regularly.

Bigfan216: Cool! Anybody else been online?

Blondebookbabe: Not yet, Lola is out with her parents. Who knows about the others?

Katherine remembered Lola’s handle was HotandCool.She was so vain, but maybe shewashot and cool.

Bigfan216: You know her?

Blondebookbabe: Kinda.

Bigfan216: How’s that?

Blondebookbabe: Groupie fans. Katy Perry, Taylor Swift. One Direction.

Bigfan216: They ever join the chats?

Blondebookbabe: Nope!

Katherine could see this conversation was going nowhere. Karrie wasn’t online, so she decided she’d sign off.

---