The universe appeared to relent. Or at least, the snow stopped falling a little after one o’clock, and the sun came out. Laurel texted to say that her parents were still going to the movies as planned, and Autumn headed out a bit before three. Her mother had commented that maybe it would be better to wait until the roads were plowed, but since only a couple of inches of snow had fallen, she assured her parents it would be fine — her Nissan Rogue had all-wheel drive, and besides, she didn’t even need to get on the highway to drive over to Laurel’s house.
Fresh tread marks on the snow-covered cul-de-sac where Laurel lived with her parents were indications of their recent departure. Autumn parked out front and carefully made her way up the snowy front walk, then rang the doorbell.
Laurel op
