AIDEN
As I drive, reflecting on Mrs. Alan's and the shaman's accounts, it occurs to me that Lachlan had caught Mom off guard. He must have triggered that reaction of paranoia Mom feels now whenever someone unfamiliar stands behind her.
She had been too trusting, too caring, and he had stabbed her in the back. I wince at the thought of that literally happening to her while I was elsewhere. I reckon I was at Dad's house by then. She had taken me there, promising to return, and had gone missing since her departure. I realize now that Mom's absence hadn't been deliberate, but rather orchestrated by my stepmother and her son.
I run my fingers through my hair, feeling frustrated. I had been too preoccupied with her abandonment to suspect that something must have gone wrong with her. I should
