Shattered Secrets (Cold Creek #1)(90)

“She’s not...not there!” she cried. “Is she downstairs? Did she die?”

It was the wrong thing to say. The blow to her head was hard. It stunned her. She heard the child squeal. And then she hit the floor.





30

Tess felt a small, gentle hand brushing her hair from her face. Her head hurt horribly. Where was she?

Then she remembered. She opened her eyes. Sandy Kenton was bent over her, her little face wet with tears.

“Is she gone?” Tess asked.

“Miss Etta carried Mama Sybil downstairs to put her to bed. She said Mr. Mean would hurt me if I talked to you, but I just want to ask one thing.”

Tess groaned and struggled to sit up. Her hands were still tied behind her back and her feet were bound again. Only Sandy’s hands were tied, but the girl was tethered to the empty wheelchair, which she’d dragged close enough to reach Tess.

“Ask me,” Tess said, trying to sound calm and quiet when she wanted to sob and scream. “I’m your friend. My name is Tess.”

“Do you know my mommy?”

“Yes. Yes, I know her, and she wants you to come home.”

“I can’t go home. I can’t even say it or Mr. Mean—”

“I know because they kept me here too once, but I got away from them and Mr. Mean and went home to my mommy. And you can too, if you help me.”

“But Mama Sybil is my other mommy now.”

“Mama Sybil isn’t real. Have you seen her walk and talk since you’ve been here?”

“No, she’s always like that, a big doll. But I have to say she’s real.”

“Sandy, turn your back to my back and let me try to untie you. Then you untie me so we can both go home. Your mommy and daddy want you to come home with me. Come on now, turn around back to back, okay? We might not have much time.”

“We don’t. Miss Etta said soon you are going to go to sleep with someone named Jill and some pioneer people, her family.”

Tess steeled herself to stay calm. Jill really was dead and buried out back. “Okay, good job, Sandy,” Tess said, as the child got close enough that she could begin to fumble with her ties. But her own hands were bound so tight she couldn’t grasp a cord to loosen Sandy’s. Maybe she should have studied the knots before trying to undo them. At least Sandy’s hands were small and sweaty and not tied quite as tight as her own.

As she tried to loosen the girl’s ties, Tess spoke to her about the two searches for her, told her that the police would give back the Barbie doll she left behind. Tess fought the worst headache she’d ever had and prayed that Etta Falls, who must be digging another grave, would not come back in time.

Finally she managed to free one of the child’s hands, and then they both popped free.

“Sandy, turn around and see if you can untie my hands.”

“I have scissors I cut out paper dolls with, but they don’t have sharp points.”

“Yes, get them. Try sawing at my ties. Hurry, please.”

“But they’re in the corner with Mr. Mean.”

“Mr. Mean isn’t real, and I won’t let him hurt you. Let’s run away from here and go see your mommy and daddy! Hurry, honey, please!”

She scurried away but was back fast, sawing away at Tess’s wrist bonds. “Miss Etta shoots her old guns out in back sometimes. I hear them go bang!”

Tess tried to stretch the ropes as the girl cut and sawed. Her hands were completely numb. She heard the slam of a door downstairs—surely not the gunshot Sandy had mentioned. Miss Etta must be back in the house.

“Sandy, never mind that. Try to cut my leg ties. Hurry. Saw at them while I stretch them,” Tess urged the child as footsteps echoed on the stairs. Tess knew this sort of scissors well, good only for cutting colored construction paper. This wasn’t going to work.

“Listen to me, Sandy. I want you to go over behind the door Miss Etta will come through. Hide behind it and keep really quiet when she opens it. I’ll do something to get her attention, and then you run down the stairs and outside. Can you open the downstairs door if it’s locked?”

“It’s dark outside.”

“But if we can’t both run, you have to get away. That’s what I did and someone found me, took me home to my mommy. Can you do that?”

“I don’t want to go without you. Miss Etta said you and me can be next to her pioneer family. I don’t want to be there alone.”

Tess was not only panicked but furious. She yanked at her fraying bonds in a frenzy. The footsteps stopped and Sandy kept cutting. Maybe Miss Etta had gone to the second floor to visit her mother, if she was an invalid. But Tess had the surest feeling Sybil Falls was dead. Miss Etta had probably buried the old woman out back and told no one. She couldn’t bear to let the past go and tried to hold on to it any way she could.

Suddenly the ties around her legs gave way! Jumping up on numb feet, Tess stumbled like a drunk, almost lost her balance. Pulling Sandy tight to her, they huddled together behind the door.

“Listen to me now, honey,” Tess whispered. “When she opens this door, don’t hold on to me. I’m going to hit the door back into her. Maybe knock her gun away, maybe even push her down the stairs. Then I’ll get on my knees and you get on my back like playing horsey.”