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Kylie hung her head. “I’m going to be in trouble.” She pulled her hand from Taylor’s. “I have to go. I’ll ask Mommy if I can come visit now that I know you’re here. Are you staying with Bree?”
“I’m staying in that little cottage behind Bree’s lighthouse. You can come see me anytime.” To retain a shred of her dignity, Taylor turned and walked toward the steps.
She couldn’t bear to have herdear sisterorder her away. Or to see Kylie cry about it. Her time was coming. The DNA test would be back on Thursday, just three more days. Taylor couldn’t wait tosee Annie’s face when she read the results. What would she say? Would she apologize or still snub her?
Taylor knew what the test would reveal even if Annie still didn’t want to admit it. And the revelation would be sweet.
***
Annie paused to admire the way the sunshine slanted through the prism of the Fresnel lens in the lighthouse before heading toward the water. She spied a familiar figure running away from the steps toward the cottage behind Bree’s home. Was that Taylor?
Her gaze went to Jon and Kylie on the beach. Had Taylor spoken to them? She’d asked the woman to stay away from Kylie. It was only a few more days until the truth came out, but what would Annie do if she found out Taylor was really Sarah?
Annie longed for closure, but she didn’t want her beloved sister to be someone who would try to frame another person. She didn’t want to have to learn to love someone who despised her. Taylor had made it clear she hated Annie. If she turned out to be her little sister, how would she even deal with that? How would they find a way forward through those circumstances?
Jon had seen her, and he lifted a hand in greeting. He and Kylie came toward the steps, and Annie waited for them. Jon carried the puppy up the stairs as Kylie scampered ahead of him. Her cheeks were pink, but her mouth was set in a mutinous pout.
She stopped in front of Annie. “Did you see Taylor? Jon made us leave her, and I wanted to stay and talk to her. I don’t know why you won’t let me talk to her. She’s my friend, Mommy. It’s not fair.”
“I’m sorry, honey.” Annie hesitated. She needed to give her daughter some kind of reason, but the full truth would requiremore explanation than Kylie could understand. “Taylor lied about some things, and I’m not sure we can trust her now. Mason is checking it out. I want to wait until we know the truth. Her lies could have sent some people to jail. That’s not okay.”
“To jail?” Uncertainty crept into Kylie’s blue eyes. “That’s a bad lie.”
“Any lie is bad,” Annie reminded her. “But yes, that was a bad one. Just try to be patient, okay? I’m trying to do what’s best for you.”
“But what about what’s best for Taylor? Aren’t we supposed to forgive? She doesn’t have anyone, Mommy. She’s all alone, and she looked so sad. She had tears in her eyes when she ran off.”
Annie’s eyes filled at the thought. Kylie was right—Taylor had no one left in the world. Her pseudo mother was dead, and now so was her cousin. Annie knew about feeling alone, but even after Nate and her parents had drowned over two years ago, she’d had Kylie. And she had friends who loved and supported her. Taylor didn’t even have a friend.
“You’re right about that.” Her gaze went to Jon, whose green eyes were somber. “Give me a few more days to figure this out, okay? We’ll see what we can do to help Taylor.”
Even if the DNA showed she wasn’t Sarah, if Annie helped her, maybe she could help turn the course of her life around. If she had no one, Taylor was apt to go from bad to worse.
Jon took her hand. “How’d it go with Shainya’s mother?”
The warm press of his fingers calmed and centered her. “She got there just as Shainya was released. Mason talked with her, but there wasn’t any more information than what she’d told me. Shainya was exhausted, so her mom took her home to the reservation. There will be plenty of people around to protect her.”
“The guys chasing her probably don’t know who she is, and Baraga is an hour away so she’s probably safe on the reservation.”
“I hope so.”
They walked back toward their vehicles. She could tell Jon had something on his mind by the way he kept biting his lip. And his frown came and went. He’d tell her when they were alone.
When they reached the lighthouse, Bree stepped out onto the porch, and her twins scooted past her to see Kylie. Hannah carried a soccer ball, and the three of them began to kick it around.
A worried expression marring her face, Bree descended the steps behind them. “Did Taylor bother you? I’ve warned her not to approach Kylie.”
“She left when I asked her to,” Jon said. “I didn’t expect that.”
Annie took a step closer to Bree. “Would you have time to conduct a search tomorrow? I have some coordinates where Michelle Fraser was last. I’d like to discover any wildlife cams she set up. I have a bloody sheet that belongs to her we can use for the scent article.”
“Sure, that’s not a problem. Samson will enjoy the outing. What time?”
“About eight? I’ll come here.”
Bree nodded and punched it into her phone. Annie noticed the speculative stare Jon gave Bree. What was up?
He bit his lip again and frowned. “Has Anu been feeling all right?”
