Chapter Fifty-OneSea Scope: Twenty years ago
She heard her mother crying. It had been this way every night since the Fourth of July. Wendy would wake up late at night or early in the morning to her mother's sobs. She knew the cause of Wanda's sadness. Michael had rejected her, and he was planning to check out of the inn soon. She wished she could make her mother happy again.
As her mother's cries subsided into sniffs and then into the light snores of sleep, Wendy got out of bed. Glen wasn't the only one who liked to patrol the inn at night, but Wendy didn't snoop around the guest rooms. She slipped out the back door and into the woods behind the inn. The night air invigorated her and helped her think. It was a welcome relief from the hot day, and she felt akin to the animals and insects
