“I have to tell you something,” Sara said, pulling away. She wouldn’t look at Summer as she sat on the edge of Lorraine’s bed and traced the roses on the bedspread with her finger, her eyes wide. She looked nervous, scared. It was unlike her.
“I heard my dad talking to him.”
Tom, as the doctor and the first to move his family into the compound, was one of the most respected men in the community other than Taured himself. It wasn’t unusual for them to have private talks. Summer had seen them walking the parameter of the compound together many times in deep conversation, the same at dinners.
Summer frowned. Whatever her friend had to say was going to be awful, she already knew it. She didn’t have words, so she wrapped her arms around her body and sank next to Sara on the bed.
“They’ve reported your mom’s death to the police and they’re coming to get her body. They had to report it. Taured is paying someone inside the Friendship police to tell him stuff, and your grandparents called the cops after you two never showed up.”
Summer reached for Sara’s hands, grasping them between her own. “Taured took me to see her body. He showed me…she had these marks between her toes that he said were track marks and that she was on drugs. He’s going to tell the police she was an addict and she overdosed. But I know she’d never do that. Drugs killed my dad and she hated them. Taured did it to her and that’s why she died.”
Sara squeezed her hands hard so that Summer looked up in surprise. “He plans to keep you here, that’s what I heard him say to my dad.”
“Taured,” Summer whispered. It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t even a surprise, but somehow, saying it out loud made her feel woozy and light-headed. Taured thought everything belonged to him, including her. Sara said nothing for several seconds, watching Summer’s face.
“They can’t keep me here. If my mom is…gone, they’ll send me to her parents, right?”
“They’re going to say you ran away a few weeks ago and that’s what made your mom overdose on drugs. They’re pretending you’re not here, Summer. They’re going to keep you locked up.”
Her heart was her whole body, thudding until she was shaking so much Sara got up and threw a blanket around her shoulders.
“Listen, I’ve been thinking about it…”
Sara’s face, which was naturally serious, looked almost pinched in its earnestness.
“There’s more. Your mom had a life insurance policy. She got it after your dad died. You’re the beneficiary. Taured wants it.” Sara’s nostrils were flaring as she looked Summer in the eye, her own eyes brimming with tears.
“What?” Summer hissed. “Just say it.”
“They talked about him marrying you.” It rushed out of her mouth in a jumble. She hiccuped and covered her mouth with her hand.
Summer shook her head. “What?”
Sara bit her lip. “I don’t know. They…my dad…they don’t know if they can pull it off, but they’re going to try.”
She shook her head. “No.” Her voice broke. That wasn’t right, couldn’t be.
And why would her mother even have a life insurance policy? She’d never mentioned anything like that to Summer.
“You’re underage, so you’d normally need your mother’s permission. But with her gone, they can forge her signature.” Sara dipped her chin, looked at her hard, like she really needed Summer to understand.
“He will do it. He will find a way. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Sara.” Ama stuck her head in the door, almost making the two of them jump. “Time for Summer to rest. You can see her again for a bit tomorrow.”
“Just another minute, Mama. I’d like to pray with her, if you don’t mind,” Sara said. They grasped hands, touching foreheads. Ama nodded and closed the door.
“The police will know something’s up. If I’m apparently missing, the police will ask them why they didn’t report it.”
“He’s going to say that your mother told him she reported you missing. They’re going to have Frank say he drove her to the police station and waited in the car for her.” Frank, whom her mother hated and who hated her back—of course he was willing to lie for Taured.
“Frank is just going to play dumb and say he saw her go inside. You have to leave with the police, Summer, it’s the only way.”
“How? They won’t let me out of their sight now if that’s the case.”