I’d missed so much. Her wedding. The birth of her babies. I’d missed supporting her when her marriage fell apart just weeks after Lyla was born. I’d missed Thanksgivings and Christmases and birthdays. The only thing I hadn’t regretted missing out on was seeing my so-called parents. They had been something I’d been happy to leave in my past.
“She wouldn’t.” I said the words with finality. “She’d never do that to her kids. To me. To herself.” My voice cracked on the last word, but I refused to let the tears come.
Mason wove his fingers through mine, squeezing tightly. I didn’t have the heart to pull away. In that moment, it felt like he was the only thing tethering me to this Earth.
“She had a lethal dose of methamphetamine in her system when she was discovered at a motel just off the Strip.”
My hand clamped down on Mason’s, squeezing hard. “There’s been a mistake. You have the wrong person.”
“Ms. Foley, there’s been no mistake. I’m sorry, but your sister is gone. I know this has likely been a shock for you, but I do need to ask you some questions.”
I could barely comprehend what Detective Johnson was saying. I tried my best to answer what she asked. No, I didn’t know what Chelsea had been doing in Vegas. Yes, I had her children with me. I told her that she was in the process of moving from Portland to Sutter Lake. My eyes burned as I remembered how happy she’d been the day we registered the kids for school next year. How happy I’d been that I was getting a fresh start with the only family I had left.
The click of a pen sounded over the line. “I think that’s everything. You have my number if you need anything. I’ve left a message for your parents, but if you’d like to call them instead—”
Her words cut off in my mind. Just the mention of them sent me hurtling back. I could feel the sting of a slap. The loss of air when an especially vicious punch landed just below my ribs. The physical scars of my father’s anger had long since faded, but the emotional scars would never leave.
Mason seemed to understand that I was losing it and pulled the phone from my grasp. “This is Mason Decker. I’m a friend of Anna’s. She’s understandably upset right now. Can we call you back?”
There was a pause.
“Thank you. We’ll be in touch.”
He hung up and set the phone down on the kitchen table. Without a word, he pulled me up and into his arms. I didn’t resist. I simply held on. As if gripping his t-shirt and feeling his strong arms around me could solve all of my problems.
“I’m so sorry, Anna.”
I wanted to break then. So badly wanted to let the sob tear out of my chest and cut through the air. To scream and rage. But I swallowed it all down. My pain didn’t matter. There were kids in the other room who would be destroyed by this.
But that wasn’t what scared me the most. What terrified me down to my bones was that my parents could get their hands on Lyla and Justin. I couldn’t let that happen. Refused. Those little ones who held my whole heart would not be subjected to what I had been growing up. I’d do whatever I had to do to protect them. Even if that meant running.
4
Mason
None of us said a word as we sat crowded into the small living area of Anna’s cottage. Cain and Kennedy squeezed together on an oversized armchair, Cain’s arm wrapped protectively around his wife, whose eyes were rimmed in red. Walker perched on a barstool, his jaw tight. As Sutter Lake’s chief of police, he’d already reached out to the detective in charge of Anna’s sister’s case to see if he could glean any additional information. So far, there wasn’t much.
I leaned back against the small couch, looking up the stairs, straining to see or hear any signs of life. Little Lyla’s broken sobs from an hour ago had quieted. Now, there was only silence.
But Anna’s voice still rang in my ears. Her words about an overdose. Justin and Lyla being left without a mother. Images flashed in my mind. Ones I desperately tried to burn out of my brain but never seemed to succeed at. Our SUV crashing through the fence on the side of the road. Slamming into the water. Juliette’s wails.
“Those poor kids,” Kennedy whispered, bringing me out of my freefall.
I moved my jaw from side to side, trying in vain to loosen some of the tension there.
Walker looked up from his phone. “Does anyone know if their father is in the picture?”
“I don’t think so.” I hadn’t heard Justin or Lyla mention him once. Anna, either.
“He’s not. He signed over his rights when he left my sister.”
All of our heads turned as Anna appeared at the bottom of the stairs. There was only one word to describe her. Ravaged. She had always hidden her emotions so well, so it was startling to see them displayed so clearly on her face. As if they were carved into her bones, never to leave again.
“Oh, Anna.” Kennedy pushed to her feet and pulled her friend into a tight hug, rubbing a hand up and down her back.
I fisted and flexed my hands, my fingers itching to comfort her. It was stupid. Anna didn’t know me. Not really. She certainly didn’t trust me. Yet, I still wanted to be the one pulling her into my arms.
Kennedy ushered Anna over to the couch. “Here, sit. Do you want some tea? Something to eat?”
Anna sank down next to me, just a foot away. “No. Thank you. I’m sorry you guys hung around so long. You can go. Really.”
Cain scowled. “We’re not going anywhere until we know what you need.”
The corner of Anna’s mouth twitched. As if she wanted to smile but couldn’t quite get there. “Good to know the bossy streak doesn’t go away, even in a crisis.”
Kennedy rolled her eyes. “It’s even worse in a crisis.”
Walker tapped a few things on his phone. “I’ve made contact with Detective Johnson. She seems more than capable and is taking the case seriously—”
“My sister didn’t do drugs. I would’ve known.”
Kennedy’s expression softened. “You two were just getting close again. Maybe she hid it from you.”
“No.” Anna’s face fell. “She has always been incredibly against drugs of any kind. I could barely get her to take an ibuprofen if she needed it.”
Walker cleared his throat. “Detective Johnson is going to do everything she can to figure out the what and the how of it. She still hasn’t been able to get ahold of your parents. Do you have another number for them?”
Anna went ramrod straight next to me. “No, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t help them find it.”
Walker’s gaze narrowed on Anna, assessing. “And why’s that?”
“Justin and Lyla…they can’t go to my parents.” Her hands fisted at her sides. “Do you know what I need to do to petition for custody?”
“Why can’t they go with their grandparents?” Walker asked slowly.
Anna’s mouth clamped closed. Everyone was quiet for a long beat. Waiting and watching.
Kennedy eased down next to Cain. “If you don’t tell us, we can’t help. Whatever you say won’t leave this room unless you want it to.”