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He’d read her mind. “She hasn’t been there as far as I know.”
The cabin was from their lives so long ago, when Mom and Dad were alive and the sisters were young and carefree. Before a madwoman changed everything forever.
But maybe it was time they put the ghosts to rest. If there was a chance to bring back the old Sarah, maybe it was in those remembered scenes of their childhoods. Right now Sarah didn’t love her. Not really. She had only hatred and revenge in her heart, but the cabin could change that.
“You might be right about the cabin,” she said. “Is it habitable? I haven’t been in it myself since Sarah disappeared, and the mice might have taken over.”
“Not on my watch. My crew cleans it regularly, and I’ve keptit in order in case you ever wanted to wander through it and remember your parents. While it’s not as luxurious as my home, it’s comfortable. And all the contents are still inside.”
Anu picked up her coffee. “I have been inside recently, Annie. It is nicer than Bree’s cabin where Sarah has been staying. She will be quite happy there. I think it is an excellent idea to have her stay there. Though she was young, she might remember more than we think.”
Max was watching Annie with a somber expression. Was he able to reach inside and see how torn Annie felt? Memories could be good or bad. Sarah’s memories of the night she was abducted were not the ones Annie remembered. Sarah thought Annie could have done more to save her, but if she thought it through logically, she’d know it wasn’t true. For example, how could Sarah look at Kylie and think someone her age could do anything to stop a grown woman?
Annie had beat herself up over the years for failing to save her sister, but she’d been helpless and wounded. That knowledge had been hard-won and slow to sink into Annie’s heart.
She gathered her composure. “Would it be all right for Mason to bring her out this morning?”
“Of course. I’ll notify my staff in case I’m not back yet. Anu and I would like to review the property she’s buying from you. I might have some ideas on renovation. Would that be all right?”
“I’d love for her to get your thoughts. Everything you’ve done on the island has been beautiful.”
He smiled at her compliment. “I’m glad she’s letting me have some input, though she will probably never live there.”
Annie blinked at the statement. They were talking marriage already? If so, why was Anu still pursuing the deal?
The transfer of property was scheduled to occur in a couple of days, and Annie had almost forgotten it in the flurry of events that had rolled in on them all. She’d stop by the title company office to make sure everything was ready. She’d never used that old cabin, and it was going to be wonderful to have Anu as a neighbor.
As she walked out of the restaurant, she texted Mason the okay to take Sarah out to the island. So far Annie had managed to avoid her sister, but was it even the right thing to do?
***
Sarah sat at the bow of the sheriff’s boat with the wind lifting her hair. “Annie hates me, doesn’t she?” Sheriff Kaleva didn’t answer, but then, he didn’t need to. They both knew the truth.
The fresh scent of Lake Superior usually energized her, but her sister’s continued rejection made her want to crawl in bed and pull the covers over her head. It didn’t help to realize she deserved every bit of Annie’s disdain. Sarah’s actions had brought all of this on her head. It wasn’t Annie’s fault.
She ran her fingers through her hair, and it made her happy to see it was mostly blonde again. The red was almost gone. When she peered in the mirror now, she saw her sister looking back at her. They had the same Scandinavian features, the same eyes and hair. She was in need of a trim, but it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, not out on Tremolo Island.
Sheriff Kaleva had said very little about why he was taking her out to the island, just that it was for her safety. Typical taciturn Finn. The least he could do was explain.
She swiveled to face the sheriff. “I don’t know why I have to stay out there. I won’t bother Annie or Kylie. They’re safe fromme. I know I made a bad mistake, but you don’t have to worry about me doing it again.”
His weathered face softened a bit. “That’s not the problem.” A heavy sigh moved his broad chest. “Your kidnapper escaped custody. We’re searching for him, but we can’t be sure he won’t target you again to prevent you from testifying.”
Panic fluttered high into her throat. When Jon took her to his family cabin, he’d simply said they were worried about her safety. If she’d known the truth, she wouldn’t have stayed out there by herself without anyone else around. “How could Glenn get away? He was in a coma.”
“He had help.” The sheriff clammed up and squinted toward the approaching island. “You’ll be safe here. Max has plenty of security out here, and it’s only a few days.”
Sarah clenched her trembling hands together in her lap. The fear she’d felt while trapped in that cabin wasn’t something she liked to remember. She’d thought all of that was behind her, but she could see how she posed a threat to Hussert. “Is Michelle in danger too? She had to deal with him longer than me, and she has evidence about his other crimes as well.”
“We’re taking precautions with her as well.”
“She could come out here with me. Her mom wouldn’t be much protection, and I think she’s still afraid of her husband.”
“Last I heard, they were working on reconciling. He has plenty of money to hire guards for her.”
“I think you heard wrong,” Sarah said. “She’d never go back to him. He hurt her.”
Mason’s gaze swung back to her. “She told you he hurt her?”
