AllFreeNovel
Share Us
FIFTY-FOUR
“Kayleigh,” Josie said. “I’m not going to lie. You’re in a lot of trouble. It would really help us out if you told us where to find Savannah.”
Sitting in the back of a police cruiser, hands cuffed behind her, Kayleigh didn’t even look at Josie, who sat in the front seat, talking through the divider that separated them. They had taken both Thomas and Kayleigh into custody without incident, which had seemed like a huge win, until Josie and Gretchen started questioning the two of them about Savannah’s whereabouts. Across the driveway, in a different cruiser, Henry Thomas had only said four words: “I want a lawyer.”
Kayleigh hadn’t said any words at all.
Josie tried again. “However you feel about your parents—and for what it’s worth, I don’t blame you—I know that you love your little sister. She is innocent in all this, Kayleigh. She’s just a little girl who loves and looks up to you. You’re her protector. I’m asking you to be that to her now. Tell us where she is so we can make sure she’s okay.”
No response. Kayleigh leaned forward, resting her forehead against the back of the driver’s seat. She started to hum softly.
Josie reached into her pocket and took out the scrunchie Savannah had given her at the soccer field. “Look at this. Savannah asked me to give this to you when I found you. She said it’s her favorite scrunchie. She wanted you to have it. She loves you, Kayleigh. That must mean something to you.”
Kayleigh didn’t look at the scrunchie. Her humming intensified. A sick feeling swirled in Josie’s stomach. Was Kayleigh so unaffected because Savannah was already dead?
Josie put the scrunchie back in her pocket. “You can ignore me all day, but you’ll never get me to believe you don’t love your sister. In fact, you went back to check on her today, didn’t you? You were in the woods, watching the house. She came out to kick balls, and you got too close. She saw you. Then she followed you back here. What did you do with her?”
The humming grew louder, faster.
“Did Henry kill her?”
The humming paused but Kayleigh gave no answer. A commotion from outside drew Josie’s attention. She got out of the cruiser but left the front passenger’s side door open, giving Kayleigh some air. She looked across the driveway to Gretchen, who shrugged. Soon after, Shelly Patchett came running up the driveway, slipping and stumbling on the gravel. Behind her was Officer Brennan. “There was no stopping her,” he called.
“It’s fine,” Josie said.
Shelly stopped between the cruisers. “Where are my girls?”
Gretchen walked over to her and said something into her ear. Her next words were a scream. “Well, where is she? Find her, find her!”
Josie turned back toward Kayleigh, whose eyes were now on the window, watching her mother. She said, “Let me out.”
Josie opened the back door and helped Kayleigh out. When Shelly saw her, she ran over, gathering Kayleigh in her arms. After a long hug that seemed to make Kayleigh uncomfortable, Shelly released her. Touching Kayleigh’s cheek, she said, “They told me. They told me that you…that you were involved. That that man made you do all these horrible things.”
Kayleigh didn’t speak but she jerked away from Shelly’s touch.
“It’s okay,” Shelly said. “We’ll get you a lawyer. Any judge will be lenient when they know how he manipulated and coerced you into those awful things. You’re so impressionable.” Tears fell from her eyes. She tried to touch Kayleigh’s face again, but she stepped away, bumping arms with Josie. “So gullible,” Shelly added. “But it’s okay. It’s okay.” She stopped and scanned the premises. “Where’s your sister?”
Kayleigh said nothing.
“Kayleigh, where is she? Where is Savannah?”
Quietly, Kayleigh said, “How would you feel if you never saw her again?”
Shelly pressed a hand to her chest. “What?”
She spoke louder this time, through gritted teeth. “How would you feel if you never saw Savannah again? If you never knew what happened to her?”
“I don’t—I don’t—why are you asking me this? Where is your sister?”
“Mother,” Kayleigh said. “Do you remember when Savannah was just a baby, and I was eight years old? You took us trick-or-treating. Savannah was dressed up in her stroller. You were pushing it. We went somewhere—into the city or the park or something—somewhere we could walk around and get candy.”
“I don’t understand,” Shelly said.
“Do you remember?” Kayleigh went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “I was walking beside the stroller and somehow, one of its wheels rode right over the back of my ankle. It hurt a lot but I didn’t want you to be upset with me because you’d already snapped at me several times that day. Nothing I did was right. So I tried not to show it. I said, ‘I’m okay, Mommy. I’m okay,’ and do you remember what you said?”
Shelly was stunned into silence.
Kayleigh said, “You said, ‘I don’t care whether or not you’re okay, Kayleigh. I don’t care how you feel.’ Then you pushed the stroller around me and left me trailing behind you. You never snapped at Savannah, not even when she got older, and she was annoying. Because you love her more than me.”
