The Silent Sister(71)

“I can’t possibly do that!” I said. “You’re talking about extortion!”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing like that!” she said. “And I do know it’s a terrible thing to ask and I’m so embarrassed, but remember, it is what your father wanted, and…” Her voice faded away. She wrung her hands in her lap. “It’s all Tom’s idea,” she said. “This is a part of him I never knew existed.” She grabbed my hand. “Please don’t say anything to Danny!” she pleaded. “Tom wants you alone to have the information. You deserve to know what happened to your sister, but surely you don’t want the police involved, and your brother … we just don’t know what he’d do if he—”

“Is she still alive?” I drew my hand away from hers.

“She was alive the last time he saw her.”

“Saw her?” I pressed my hand to my own chest and felt my heart thudding beneath my palm. “He actually saw her?”

“He says he was involved, but I don’t know how exactly. It sounds crazy to me. But he knows a lot, Riley. He has a good idea where she is.”

I did the math in my head. Twenty acres at ten thousand dollars an acre. Was finding my sister worth two hundred thousand dollars? Danny couldn’t care less about his half and we already had my father’s money plus whatever we got for the house. I knew Verniece was playing good cop/bad cop with me, pretending she was an innocent victim of her husband in this scheme. I knew that in my head, but my heart didn’t give a damn.

“I’ll do it,” I said.

“Oh, my good Lord!” Verniece slapped her hands on her thighs. “You will? Oh, thank you, thank you, Riley! You’ve just given me a future!”

“I’ll come over this afternoon and Tom can tell me how to find her and then I’ll have my father’s lawyer draw up whatever papers we need to turn the park over to you.”

She lost her smile. “Tom said we need you to do that first. Get the documents taken care of first.”

Whatever, I thought. “All right.”

“And you won’t tell Danny any of this?”

I shook my head. “No,” I said. At least I wouldn’t tell him right away, although I hoped I could someday. “I don’t know how quickly Suzanne—my father’s lawyer—can get this done, though.”

“Well, Tom said it has to be soon. Before he loses his nerve.”

What absolute gall, I thought. I pulled my phone from my pocket, and she panicked.

“What are you doing? You didn’t record this, did you?”

“Relax,” I said. I wished I had thought to record her. “I just want to put your number in my phone. I’ll call you when I have the papers drawn up.”

“Oh.” She gave me her number and I added it to my contacts.

“You won’t regret this, Riley,” she said. “I think Tom knows a lot and can really help you.” She stood up. “Come on and I’ll drive you home.”

I shook my head, not budging from the bench. “I’ll run,” I said.

She looked worried as she reached down to touch my shoulder, tentatively, like she wasn’t sure her touch would now be welcome. She drew her hand away quickly, and I thought she must have felt the cold stone my shoulder had become. “We’ll wait to hear from you,” she said.

I watched her walk away, then stood up and started running toward the waterfront. Was I really going to go through with this? It was insane. And risky. I’d have to track Lisa down with care, keeping Danny out of it. Keeping the authorities out of it. I needed to protect her. If I hurt her by finding her, I’d never forgive myself. And if she’d ever cared about me, if she’d ever loved her little sister, that love would vanish like vapor. I would ruin her life. I’d ruin her.

Two weeks ago, I was the proud owner of six thousand dollars. If it took every new cent I was due from my father’s estate, I would spend it to find Lisa. I was certain Daddy would have wanted that. My eyes filled with tears as I ran, and I brushed them away with the back of my hand, but they were instantly replaced by more. How my parents must have tortured themselves over Lisa’s suicide! I was sure Daddy would have given up everything he owned to learn the truth. I’d do this for him as much as for myself.





FEBRUARY 1996

35.

San Diego

Jade

Dear Fred,

My life is good and full and I’m loved and productive, but there is a gaping hole in my heart that I can’t heal without your help. I need to know DETAILS about everyone. It keeps me awake at night, wondering and worrying how you all are. Please. If you still love me at all, please do this for me.

Love, Ann

MARCH 1996

Dear Ann,

I’m happy to hear you’re doing well. You haven’t been forgotten, nor will you ever be. I hope you know that.

You ask for details, so I will do my best, but only this once and you must destroy this letter the second after you read it. Knowing you, you’d want me to be honest about the state of affairs here at home, so that is what I’ll be. I’m sorry if this worries you.

We are a family falling apart at the seams.

Your mother has never recovered from losing you. She’s very withdrawn and is on antidepressants. They help somewhat, but I miss the joyful woman she used to be. We are living in a nice part of North Carolina and she found a church she likes, but she’s made few connections. I believe she’s afraid to leave D and R unsupervised for a minute. She carries some blame for everything that happened and nothing I say can change that.