Chapter 3
Nathan Rourke turned the key in the door of the old house at the edge of Sycamore Lane. The porch creaked under his boots, same as it had when he was sixteen, sneaking back in after curfew.
Nothing had changed.
Except everything had.
The door swung open.
“Uncle Nate?” a voice called from inside.
He barely had time to brace himself before Marlene barreled into his arms. Her hug was fast and fierce—tight like she was holding on for balance.
He let his bag drop and held her close. “You cut your hair.”
She stepped back, wiping her eyes. “You still shave like it’s optional.”
Nathan laughed, soft and short. “Fair.”
“You look tired.”
“I am.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Me too.”
They stood there for a beat in the hallway, ghosts of old memories drifting around them.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” she said.
“I wasn’t sure I could stay.”
She looked down. “Dad would’ve liked it if you had.”
Nathan’s jaw tightened. “Did he say anything before—”
“No.” Her voice cracked. “Nothing. He just... left his boots by the door, like he was planning on coming back.”
Nathan stepped past her into the living room. Dust. Old books. Faint smell of cinnamon and motor oil.
“He was working on something,” Marlene said. “Always writing notes. Always whispering on the phone. I thought it was work stuff, but... I don’t know.”
“Did he seem scared?”
“Yes. But not for himself.” She sat on the couch. “He kept checking the locks. Kept telling me to stay away from the woods. Said Hollow Creek wasn’t safe anymore.”
Nathan glanced toward the hallway. “Did he ever mention a kid named Jace Carter?”
She frowned. “Yeah. Once. Said he reminded him of someone.”
“Who?”
She hesitated. “You.”
Nathan looked away.
They sat in silence until a knock rattled the screen door.
Marlene stood first. “It’s been like this since the fire.”
She opened the door.
A woman stood outside, shaking, her eyes red and swollen. Early forties. Her cardigan was inside out. Hair in a messy knot.
“Mrs. Laney,” Marlene said, surprised. “Are you okay?”
“I—I heard he was back,” the woman stammered, eyes darting toward Nathan. “You’re the brother, right? The lawyer?”
Nathan stood. “I was.”
She stepped forward, twisting her hands. “Please. I—I need help. It’s about Jace.”
Nathan’s eyebrows lifted. “You his mother?”
“I’m his foster mother. Been with me about two years.” She looked down. “He’s a quiet boy. Never caused trouble. Never even raised his voice.”
“He’s in custody,” Nathan said. “For arson. Possibly manslaughter.”
“I know!” she burst out. “But he didn’t do it! He wouldn’t!”
Nathan motioned toward the couch. “Sit down. Breathe. Start from the top.”
She sat, hands gripping her knees.
“He came home late yesterday. Said someone was watching the house. I told him it was probably nerves, but... I should’ve believed him.” Her voice wavered. “He said they whispered through the trees. Told him things. Said if he didn’t light the fire, they’d do it themselves.”
Nathan narrowed his eyes. “Who’s ‘they’?”
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t say. He was terrified. I thought maybe he was having one of his episodes, but this wasn’t like that. This was worse.”
“He’s had episodes before?”
“Panic attacks. Nightmares. Nothing violent.”
Nathan paced slowly. “Why come to me?”
She wiped her eyes. “Because you’re not from here anymore. You don’t owe these people anything.”
“And you think that makes me trustworthy?”
“It makes you dangerous to the ones who are hiding things.” Her voice was firm now. “The cops don’t want the truth. They want to close the file.”
Nathan glanced at Marlene, then back at Mrs. Laney. “Do you think Jace started the fire?”
She swallowed hard. “No. I think he tried to stop it.”
Nathan sat back down. “Alright. I’ll talk to him.”
Relief rushed through her like air returning to crushed lungs. “Thank you. God, thank you.”
“But I need everything,” Nathan said. “His records. His file. Anything your agency has. And I need to know what your house backed up to.”
She blinked. “The woods.”
“Any old buildings out there? Sheds, cellars, old mills?”
“Just a small clearing. Some stone slabs. Mark said it used to be a gathering spot—decades ago.”
Nathan’s face darkened. “Can you draw me a map?”
She nodded.
Marlene stepped into the kitchen and returned with paper and a pen.
Nathan watched the lines form under Mrs. Laney’s shaking hand.
It was crude, but enough.
A winding trail. A creek. A stone circle. Something marked with an X in the middle.
“What’s that?” Nathan asked.
She hesitated. “That’s where the animals go missing.”
“What animals?”
“Strays. Sometimes deer. Sometimes... worse.”
Marlene’s skin went pale.
Nathan folded the paper carefully and stood. “I’ll be in touch.”
Mrs. Laney stood, too. “They’re going to pin this on him, aren’t they?”
“Not if I can help it.”
She clutched his hand. “They’ll come for you too. If you dig too deep.”
Nathan nodded. “Let them.”
She left without another word.
The house was quiet again.
Marlene crossed her arms. “Are you really going to do this?”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice. You chose to leave. You chose to stay gone.”
“And now I’m choosing to stay.”
Marlene exhaled. “Then we better find the truth fast. Because if Jace didn’t do it...”
She didn’t finish.
She didn’t have to.
Because the truth wasn’t just hiding in Hollow Creek.
It was watching.
