“Of course,” said Iris. “I’ve already shopped.”
The usual was burgers and Tater Tots with strawberry shortcake for dessert. And orange soda. All Malcolm’s favorites.
“How are you doing?” Miriam asked in a quieter voice.
A sharp pain stabbed Rowan in the stomach. “Better,” she said as Ken’s face flashed in her mind.
“And the investigation?” asked her mother.
“Detective Bolton is handling it.”
“Oh, I like him,” interjected Iris, nodding enthusiastically. “He’s very sharp and gives a damn about his work. Attractive too.” She eyed Rowan speculatively.
Rowan looked away. Attraction had pinged between her and the detective, but now he was in charge of finding Ken’s killer. Nothing else mattered.
“Okay!” Iris folded the last foil and patted the top of Rowan’s head. “Let’s get you under the dryer for a bit.”
“Not too long,” advised Miriam. “She’ll glow.”
“What?” asked Rowan, not liking the word glow. She glared at Iris. “What did you two do to me?”
“Nothing. It’s going to look great.” She pointed at the dryer. “Go.”
Rowan stood up. “It feels like I’ve got a hundred foils in my hair. That’s not nothing.”
Iris laughed. “It’s not a hundred.”
“It’ll be fabulous,” said Ivy, coming to join the conversation.
Standing beside his mom, West took a long look at Rowan’s foils and said nothing. He was used to seeing women in the salon look like aliens.
“It better,” grumbled Rowan, knowing full well her sisters knew exactly what they were doing.
An hour later she couldn’t look away from her hair in the mirror. Her sisters had blended all different shades of blonde into her long waves, and even a few strands of red peeked out here and there. It was amazing.
Ivy and Iris stood behind her looking like proud parents. “A little more platinum next time,” said Iris, and Ivy agreed.
“You’re magicians,” said Rowan. “No . . . you’re witches, right?”
“We prefer the term sorceresses,” said Ivy.
“It’s stunning,” said Miriam, touching Rowan’s hair. “It suits you.” Her lips quivered a little, and she forced a weak smile. “You’ll be at the house by six tomorrow?”
Her mother was acknowledging that Rowan would be busy with her yearly search for Malcolm.
“Yes. I won’t be late.”
“Good.”
The four of them exchanged hesitant smiles. Tomorrow was always a difficult day, but they attempted to make it a happy one.
I won’t be happy until I know what happened to Malcolm.
7
Rowan, twenty-five years ago
“He’s coming,” whispered Malcolm. “I heard the door slam.”
Rowan darted into her corner of the shed as Malcolm squatted in his. She could barely see an outline of her brother in the dim light. The shed didn’t have any electricity. The only light came in through two windows that had been nailed shut. On the outside they were covered with chicken wire.
Malcolm had talked about breaking one of the windows to escape, but Rowan had begged him not to. If they couldn’t get past the chicken wire, the man would be furious when he saw the broken glass.
They never wanted to make him angry.
But no matter how well they behaved, he was angry every day.
Rowan shivered as she wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling them tight to her chest. During the day the shed was stifling and hot from the summer sun beating on its roof, but at night she was cold no matter how close Malcolm hugged her as they tried to sleep. Her brother had asked for blankets but been told they didn’t deserve blankets.
It made no sense to Rowan.
She wasn’t bad. And neither was Malcolm. But the man told them over and over how bad they were.
Am I wrong?
“In the corners!” yelled the voice outside the shed.
The kids had learned to retreat to their corners and not say a word. On the second day, Malcolm had told him that they were in place, and it’d sent the man into a rage. So now they waited silently.
Squeaking and clanging noises sounded as he unlocked the door. Rowan covered her eyes even though she hadn’t been ordered to yet. She lived in terror of accidentally seeing his face. At first she’d been curious to see the man who’d locked them in his shed. Now she believed he’d whip her if she saw him. She screwed her eyes shut tighter and hid her face in her knees.