Chapter 15 - SarahSarah arrived that night.
Not at the house.
At the police station.
She walked through the doors alone.
Twenty-seven years old.
Dark hair.
Brown eyes.
And Mama's necklace around her throat.
I knew before she spoke.
She looked at me.
“Linda?”
I nodded.
Then she whispered:
“I'm your sister.”
My knees nearly buckled.
Emily stared at her.
“So there are three of us.”
Sarah nodded.
“Three girls.”
“Why didn't Mama tell me?”
“Because she was afraid Wayne would find you.”
I looked at her necklace.
“Where did you get that?”
“Mama gave it to me.”
“When?”
“Two years ago.”
She was still alive.
She had known.
She had been secretly meeting Sarah.
“Why?”
Sarah looked down.
“She thought all three of us were in danger.”
“From Voss?”
“Not just him.”
“Who else?”
Sarah looked at Samuel.
“You haven't told them?”
He shook his head.
Sarah's expression hardened.
“Then I will.”
She placed a file on the table.
“This is from an old private investigation.”
Samuel opened it.
The first page contained a list of names.
Politicians.
Doctors.
Bankers.
Lawyers.
Police officers.
And one name that made me stop breathing.
Russell Carter.
I stared at my brother.
He closed his eyes.
Sarah said:
“Russell was part of the organization.”
“What?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
I looked at him.
“You lied to me.”
“I wasn't part of it.”
Sarah pointed at the file.
“Then explain the payments.”
There were twelve.
Small amounts.
Over ten years.
I felt sick.
Russell looked broken.
“Those were protection payments.”
“To whom?”
“Wayne.”
“Why?”
“To keep you safe.”
Sarah shook her head.
“They weren't protection.”
She opened another document.
“Look at this.”
The payment codes matched.
Each one corresponded to an attempt to locate me.
My address.
My workplace.
My medical records.
My bank account.
Everything.
Russell had been paying someone to keep track of me.
I stepped backward.
“Were you watching me?”
He started crying.
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Twenty-eight years.”
My chest tightened.
“You knew about Emily.”
“Yes.”
“You knew about Sarah.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Wayne wanted me.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because the first time I tried, they threatened Mama.”
I stared.
“Who threatened her?”
Russell looked toward the hallway.
“Your mother wasn't hiding from Wayne.”
He whispered:
“She was hiding from the government.”
I frowned.
“What government?”
He handed me a document.
At the top was a seal.
Federal.
Beneath it:
PROJECT HOLLISTER
I stared at the classified stamp.
Sarah said quietly:
“You think this is a family secret.”
She looked at all three sisters.
May you like
“It isn't.”
“It is a national one.”
