“Evangeline was a precocious child and wanted to see the boats. She’d always been pointing them out to me. One day there was a large crowd, and she slipped away from Manny. Evangeline told me later that she’d wanted to pick out the best boat for Manny to buy.”
“She managed to get on one of the visiting ships, didn’t she?” Reaper asked, desperately trying to hurry T.A. along.
“Yes. How she did it without one of the ship hands seeing her, I don’t know, but she did … and she took something. Manny must have found her and taken her back to Gyi’s boat.”
Reaper took a step toward her, then stopped himself. “What did she take?”
“I don’t know, and Evangeline doesn’t remember.”
“How does she not remember?”
The expression on T.A.’s face became tortured. “Because of what she witnessed afterward, she blocked the whole thing out. What she does remember is hearing shouts from Gyi and Manny, and the children crying.
“She told me she was terrified and didn’t made a sound when she heard loud noises, but she didn’t know what was happening … until she heard Allerton demanding they return what they’d stolen. When they couldn’t find whatever it was they were searching for, Allerton told Gyi to take the children home, then to come back for Manny. Gyi brought the children back to Clindale, then unknowingly brought Evangeline back to Sherguevil to get Manny. He had no idea Evangeline was on the boat, and worse he had no idea what was waiting for him.
“Evangeline remembers Manny telling her not to come out until he opened the bunk. Even after she heard Gyi and Manny screaming and yelling, she only left the bunk when she smelled smoke. She said Manny saw her and began speaking in his native tongue, but Allerton and his men had just assumed he was begging for his life. He wasn’t; he was saving hers. He instructed Ginny to use the cargo net to climb down and swim home.”
T.A. started shaking, and Reaper started sweating. Manny telling a three-year-old to swim home by herself rather than letting her expose herself to Allerton showed the level of danger Ginny had been in.
“It was a miracle she survived. If most of her days hadn’t been spent in the water, she wouldn’t have. If the water hadn’t been calm that day, if she hadn’t been so terrified ….” T.A. moaned, crossed her arms over her chest, and started rocking as if she was holding Evangeline in her arms.
“Mom came running into our home holding onto a soaking wet Evangeline, telling us that one of the men from the village had found her in the ocean. She was so young and hysterical, I couldn’t understand anything she said. Mom dried Evangeline off and put her to bed, making me swear not to say anything. I’ve never understood why my mom made me keep quiet about what had happened that day.
“The next day, Gyi and Manny hadn’t come back, and the whole Island was upset. The islanders came to our house that morning wanting my father to go to Allerton to ask for his help in searching for them. They’d innocently believed something happened on the ride back from Sherguevil. Mom didn’t let us leave her side as Dad and the islanders went to the speak to Allerton. When Dad came back, he told us Allerton had sent his men to help the villagers search for Gyi’s boat. The boat, Gyi, and Manny were never found.
“A day later our parents came into my room and told me that they were sending Evangeline and me to our grandmother’s for Christmas. I didn’t want to leave my parents, but they told me I had to pretend to want to go in order to save Evangeline.”
T.A.’s voice became whisper-soft as she told them what her mother had told her. “They were afraid Allerton would find out Evangeline had been on the boat that day. They were frightened one of the island children would let it slip that Evangeline had been there. Our parents told me to find out what Evangeline took and where she had hidden it, then they could return it and we could come home and be a family again, but whatever we did, we were not to tell our grandmother what happened.
“Mom and Dad took us to Sherguevil Island the next morning to catch a plane back to the States. My mother had put Evangeline and me on the plane, and it was ready to take off when I looked out the window and saw Allerton arrive just as we were taxing off. I still see his face … I have never been so scared in my life.” T.A. continued rocking, her mind clearly wanting to hold onto Ginny the only way she could.
“The whole time we were with our grandmother, I expected us to go back to Clindale. I was sick to my stomach with fear, because I knew Allerton would be there when we went back. While I wanted to be with my parents, I remember thinking on that trip that something with my mom wasn’t right. She’d been withdrawn and used every opportunity to pawn us off, and Dad was gone more often than he was there, and when they were both home all they did was fight. The day Manny saved Evangeline from drowning I saw an expression on my mother’s face that made me sick to my stomach. I never told Evangeline but I never fully trusted my mother after that, and I don’t think my dad either.
“Every day, our father would call my grandmother’s and ask me if Evangeline remembered anything. Each time, I told him no. Two days before Christmas, our grandmother took us out Christmas shopping. When we were in the store, I was looking at tops for my dad while my grandmother was with Evangeline across the store. A man approached me and said his name was Garrick, and he was there to help me and Evangeline. I was so scared, I didn’t know what to do. I looked for my grandmother, but I couldn’t see her. Then he said, ‘hot coconuts,’ and I knew my father had sent him. It was the secret word my dad had taught me.
“The man told me what would happen if Evangeline and I went back to Clindale, and if I wanted to keep Evangeline alive, I had to do everything he told me. Again, I was sworn to secrecy. When our parents called that night, my dad asked if I missed having hot coconuts. I spent Christmas Day knowing that every moment I spent with Evangeline was precious, because she was going to be taken away from me.” Tears streamed down T.A.’s cheeks.
“How did they make Evangeline disappear?”
It took Dalton kneeling down next to T.A., gathering her close to his side, to give T.A. the strength to answer.
“A plane crash. We went down in a plane crash in the ocean. I survived, and Evangeline died that day.”
Chapter Four
“Jesus,” Lucky muttered, breaking the silence.
Reaper looked to Shade’s father, Will, and Jonas. “Why did the FBI fly you two into Treepoint and have you brought to the courthouse?”
Jonas gave voice to the fury that had been brewing on his face since he’d walked into the courtroom. “I was brought in because fucking Hammer knew I would have stopped him if I knew he was going with Ginny without me. I was leaving our house to get a client released on bond when I was waylaid by the FBI. I’m in the dark just as much as you.”
Reaper then looked to Will, who made no effort to hide his concern for Ginny.
“I had just gotten out of bed when they came knocking on my door.” Will paused as if he was thinking before answering the question. “My guess is Hammer made that part of the bargain for Jonas and myself to be there at the courthouse so we’d be able help if you need us.”