Chapter 86

EIGHTY-SIX

KNOTTY PINE HILL

Barb was terrified she'd find Claire inside the house dead, but still she had to know. If she was alive, she could tell her who'd killed the twins. She paused and listened as she went through the house. An eerie quiet echoed through the air. Then…

A banging sound?

Then quiet again.

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 it screeched 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.