Don't Make a Sound (Sawyer Brooks #1)(74)
“Yes,” Harper said. “If you hadn’t jumped out of the truck and run back to the house as Uncle Theo was driving toward us, I might have had enough time to make you understand and convince you to come with us.”
Sawyer swallowed a lump in her throat. “What are you talking about?”
“The night Aria and I left River Rock,” Harper said.
“I was in the truck with you and Aria the night you escaped?”
“You don’t remember?” Harper asked. “I never planned to leave without you. I kept you right there with me. Nate came as quickly as he could, but by the time he got there, we only had minutes to escape. I put you in the back seat of the truck, and then Nate had to help me get Aria from the house since Uncle Theo had drugged her. Earlier, before Uncle Theo left the house, I had to play it cool and pretend all was good; otherwise he might not have left. When we returned to the truck with Aria, you were crying and screaming, telling me you didn’t want to leave Mom and Dad. I told you it wasn’t safe at home, but you were furious. You started hitting Nate on the back of the head, so he put on the brakes. You jumped out and ran up the driveway, back to the house at the same time a car turned onto our road. Nate took off, and once I saw that it was Uncle Theo’s car, there was nothing I could do. If he’d caught sight of Nate or gotten his license plate number, game over. The police would have been called, and we would have been dragged back home.”
Sawyer’s insides turned. She looked at Aria. “Why didn’t you ever tell me this?”
“I was drugged,” Aria said. “I don’t remember any of it.”
“I thought you knew,” Harper told Sawyer, “because you were there. I carried you from the house to the truck. I held you in my arms and told you how important it was for all of us to leave River Rock. You told me you didn’t want to leave Mom and Dad. You wanted to stay in River Rock, in your own home.”
Sawyer swallowed a knot in her throat. “I have no memory of being in Nate’s truck. I only remember standing on the porch outside the front door and watching the truck disappear, knowing you were both inside. I never saw Uncle Theo pull into our driveway.”
Aria spoke up then. “He never parked in front of the house because Mom yelled at him whenever his car got in the way of the garage. He’d made a habit of parking around back.”
“He drove right past us that night,” Harper said. “I had ducked down the minute I saw headlights, and Aria was sprawled out on the back seat. Uncle Theo didn’t know Nate, and therefore he had no idea we were inside the truck.”
Shivers coursed over Sawyer. “As I stood there on the porch,” she said, remembering, “Uncle Theo came up behind me. He wanted to know where everyone was. I said I didn’t know. And that was the truth. His fingers dug into my shoulder, and he made me come inside, led me into the salon where four men I had never met were waiting. That’s the night I was put on the market. I went numb after the first man led me to my bedroom and raped me. I don’t know how long that night lasted. A day? A week? I do know that I forgot everything except standing on the porch and watching you leave me.”
Harper reached for Sawyer and pulled her tight, holding her there for a long while. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back for you. I didn’t know how to convince you to come with me, and I was worried they would find Aria.”
Aria crawled over and joined in the hug.
That’s how they fell asleep. Three sisters holding each other close.
Sawyer never wanted to let go.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Sawyer was the first to awaken the next morning at six. She slipped on a clean T-shirt and the slacks she’d worn to Gramma’s funeral, since her jeans needed to be washed. She made enough coffee for all three of them. By the time it was ready to drink, Aria and Harper were up. Together they folded the blankets and put everything away. Nobody mentioned Mom and Dad. There would be time to talk about what to do with the house later.
“Chief Schneider said he would be coming by this morning,” Sawyer said. “He has more questions and wants to make sure he has all the correct contact information before we go.”
Sawyer looked at the clock. It was seven thirty. “I have to say goodbye to Melanie and Aspen. It shouldn’t take long. I’ll be back before the chief arrives. I promise.”
Aria didn’t look pleased.
“Don’t worry,” Sawyer told her. “I’ll be right back.” She grabbed her coffee and keys and headed off. Outside, she breathed in the cool air. It took a couple of tries to start the car. She gave the engine a minute to warm up before driving away.
Something niggled at her as Sawyer thought of Isabella Estrada tied around the tree. She knew Mom was capable of murder. Mom might be petite and fragile in appearance, but she’d had the strength to swing an iron poker with enough force to kill her father. She’d also taken out Melanie and Harper. Every time, though, Mom had had the element of surprise on her side and was able to catch her victims off guard.
But did Mom have the strength and stamina to keep up with Isabella during one of her runs and then strangle her before or after tying her to a tree?
She’d read enough true crime to know it wasn’t easy to strangle someone to death. Isabella was young and strong. She would have been able to fight back and ultimately get away.