28. Chapter 28
July 5, 2011
1:58 am
It didn't take long for Angie’s street to be filled with the sound of sirens and strobes of blue and red lights that nearly blinded them. Yellow ribbon taped off Angie’s yard and home, drawing out nosey neighbors who couldn’t help but stare and whisper.
Angie was going to be pissed when she got back from her honeymoon.
Sara sat on the tailgate of Gavin’s truck; a blanket wrapped around her while a paramedic tried to convince Hailey to go to the hospital. She refused to leave Sara’s side, and the man gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, but she ignored him.
“Leave her alone. Trey will make sure she gets checked out,” Sara said sternly. The man eyed her but then silently walked away.
Thankfully, Hailey’s injuries weren’t life threatening, but her nose had bled on and off and her lip was split open. According to Hailey, she managed to get a hold of the knife Sara had dropped and had stabbed Ryan in the leg. He had run off as soon as Carter came barreling in and Carter chased Ryan out the back door.
Once Gavin had assessed Hailey and had safely gotten her out of the house, he ran after Ryan and Carter. He had seen the back gate open and had followed suit, thinking Carter had chased Ryan out of the yard.
Gavin had found Carter lying face down on the sidewalk, only feet away from Angie’s yard, a single bullet to the skull. From what Trey and Gavin could piece together, Ryan had used the cover of darkness and the fireworks to silence his movements and was able to fire off three shots, one killing Carter.
The Medical Examiner emerged from the house, pushing a body bag on a stretcher. Sara followed it with her gaze until Carter’s body had been carefully loaded into the back of a van. She didn’t break her stare until the van disappeared into the night.
Guilt swept over Sara. She was putting people in danger, and she didn’t know what to do. She wanted revenge, but at what cost?
Sighing to herself, she watched as Trey made his way to the truck. He had discharged himself from the hospital when he heard what had happened and somehow managed to catch a ride with a nurse who had just gotten off shift.
As he walked toward her and Hailey, he winced with every step and clenched his own wound. He had pulled a suture at some point during all the confusion and had to be stitched up again by a paramedic.
Sara was shocked he was still standing, though she knew it was likely due to adrenaline.
He nodded to Gavin who now stood next to him. “Gavin said they didn’t see anyone drive down the street, there was no suspicious activity. They think Ryan might have been here earlier today and left the bathroom window unlocked, then came back by going through the neighbor’s yards. He was probably watching Gavin and Carter for a few hours, trying to figure out their routine.”
Gavin said, “We would walk the perimeter of the house every thirty minutes. I’m guessing he took the opportunity while we were in the truck to jump a few fences and get in through the window.”
“Did you arrest him?” Hailey said, her voice shaking.
Trey said, “We don’t know where he is. He used the traffic from the fireworks show to get away. We put out a BOLO, but nothing has popped yet.”
Trey was trying to contain his anger, but Sara could still see it. She even noticed the fear. She was scared too.
Hailey had stabbed Ryan in the leg and Sara had sliced open his shoulder. How had he gotten away?
With a sigh of defeat, Sara asked, “What happens now?”
“I’m going to take Hailey back to my house and we’ll get Trinity on the way.”
Sara was thankful he didn’t bring up the fact Trinity stayed at Genevieve’s, though he was likely thankful for it at the moment.
Gavin added, “And I’m going to call Carter’s mother and notify her on the way to my house. I need to get a change of clothes before heading to Trey’s.”
Trey said, “From now on, we all stay together. I also have uniforms patrolling my street around-the-clock until we catch Ryan.” He looked at Sara. “You’re welcome to come with us or go with Gavin.”
“His mother is going to be distraught.” Hailey choked out a sob and Trey brought her to his chest. “How could this happen? How does someone like Ryan walk away from this and someone like Carter is about to be buried? A mother should never have to bury her son, Trey!” She pounded his chest, and he held her tighter. “It’s not fair!”
Sara held her breath to keep from crying. She wanted to be numb to the pain, to act like she didn’t feel anything. But she couldn’t. She needed to feel the pain that she brought on…it would be her punishment to bear, and she would feel it fully.
Sara looked at Gavin, whose eyes were red, and face was splotchy. He angrily wiped at the tears that were falling to the ground. She blamed herself for Carter’s death and she expected Gavin to as well. After all, it was ultimately her decision to reopen the case that had brought down this fury. But he extended his hand to Sara, and she took it, grateful for his presence.
Gavin looked at her. “I’m not leaving your side until this whole thing is over.”
Sara squeezed his hand for a moment but didn’t let go.
Trey shook his head. “And neither of you goes anywhere by yourself. You stay with me or with Gavin until I figure out what to do next.”
Hailey simply nodded, too exhausted to put up a fight; probably too scared, too. Sara was grateful, she didn’t have the energy to fight about Hailey’s stubbornness tonight, though it was nearly two in the morning now.
Sara wiped her brow. The sun wasn’t even out yet and the heat was still hardly bearable. The buzz of officers moving around on the property had drowned out the sounds of the night. Though it seemed that silence would soon fall as dawn approached and the investigation came to an end.
Another officer walked up to the truck. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but Chief, we need you and Mr. O’Dell to come take a look at one last thing.” She looked at Sara and Hailey, and then back to Trey and Gavin. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Trey nodded. Then he looked at Hailey and Sara and said, “We’ll be right back.”
Hailey took Sara’s hand and moved closer to her, as the two men followed the officer back to the crime scene. Then she laid her head on Sara’s shoulder and cried. Sara wanted to cry too, but she held her breath so the mist in her eyes would disappear. But the tears still came streaming down her face and she let them.
Then, soft chirps of her phone had her brushing her tears away. She furrowed her brows. The number was private.
“Hello?” she coughed out.
“I told you to mind your business, Sara; to leave things alone.”
“And I told you I was going to bury you,” she said matter-of-factly.
How had her father gotten her number? She was using a burner phone and had kept the number a secret aside from Hailey, Gavin, and Trey.
Hailey furrowed her brows and clutched Sara’s hand tighter. After what they’d just been through, they were both on edge.
“I saw your little interview in the paper.” David didn’t bother hiding his disdain.
She was surprised by his straightforwardness. Her father was a textbook narcissist, gaslighting his victims so they wouldn’t see his attacks coming. And, once they were vulnerable, he would strike.
But David knew they were no longer playing his game of cat and mouse where he would toy with her before attacking. She had grown accustomed to his deceit and was no longer playing along.
“A gift: from me to you,” she mocked.
“You know, Sara, revenge comes at a price. And it’s always the innocent who pay it.”
Her heart dropped to her stomach. She looked around, trying to find him in the crowd, but David wasn’t among the neighbors and the first responders.
“Who told you about Carter?” she demanded.
“The man who killed him. Ryan was supposed to kill Hailey, but of course you had to intervene. And now Carter’s blood is on your hands. And your sister’s will be too if you don’t stop.”
“How could you-”
“Did you truly believe I would sit back while you tried to destroy me? I warned you and you didn’t listen.” He chuckled, “Do I have your attention now, Sara?”
The line beeped and Sara screamed, startling Hailey. Rage engulfed her. She heaved her phone onto the ground, and it smashed onto the pavement.
After tonight, she would make it her life’s mission to hunt down Ryan House.
Next, she would find her father.
And then she would become the murderer everyone claimed her to be.
Hailey quickly jumped off the tailgate and followed Sara down the street. “Sara, stop!”
But Sara didn’t stop, she ignored her sister’s pleas and continued into the darkness of the early morning, dim streetlights their only source of light. Hailey could hardly keep up and was limping, her body still throbbing from the attack.
Finally, Sara stopped and vomited into the grass of a nearby neighbor. Sara wiped at her mouth and stood, putting the palm of her hands over her eyes. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” Tears fell from her eyes. “I really screwed up, Hailey. I can’t fix this.”
For the first time, Hailey saw the fear in her sister’s eyes and that had alarm racing through Hailey. Which was exactly David's intent. Since he could no longer manipulate Sara, he would intimidate her.
And it was working.
Sara began pacing frantically. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t think anyone would get killed!”
“What are you talking about? What did you do?”
Sara threw her arms in the air. “I stole the diaries out of your car and showed them to a reporter. Dad read the article, which was the point, but now he’s out for blood.”
Hailey’s mouth gaped open. “Why did you do that?”
“Because, Hailey, he ruined my life, and I want to ruin his.”
Hailey rubbed her face. “That’s why we're trying to clear your name!”
“No. Clearing my name is the justice the world owes me. But revenge…that’s what I deserve . I meant what I said. I'm going to bury him and if I have to go down with him, so be it.” She closed her eyes. “I just didn't think he’d kill people to get back at me for it.”
Hailey shook her head, panic sweeping over her. “Who did he kill? What happened?”
How was everything spiraling so out of control?
Sara crossed her arms and looked away. She was shutting down and Hailey hated that Sara still didn't fully trust her. Hailey trusted Sara with her life, she wanted the same in return.
Hailey said, “We’re going to get through this, but you have to start trusting me. I know it goes against every instinct you have, but I swear, this is only going to get worse if we don’t start trusting each other.”
Sara sat on the curb and roughly ran her hands through her hair. “I know, I know. I just…” She began crying. “Ryan was at Angie’s because I went to the reporter.”
Hailey’s heart dropped. Guilt clouded her sister’s eyes, as if it was Sara’s fault their father was so evil. Sara didn’t need to carry his demons; she clearly had her own.
Hailey sat next to her and took her hand. “His death is not your fault. You were trying to do the right thing-”
Sara ripped her hand away. “No, I wasn’t! I was trying to get revenge, and I didn’t care what it cost me. I just didn’t think someone else would pay the price.” She hung her head to hide her tears, but Hailey saw them hit the pavement below.
Hailey didn’t say anything for a moment. She let the sounds of the early summer morning talk for her. The smell of gunpowder hung in the air even though the fireworks had long since passed.
Hailey tilted her head back and looked at the stars. She wondered how they could shine so bright despite all the horror they’d seen.
Sara looked over at her. “What are you doing?”
“Looking at the stars.”
Sara rolled her eyes. “Carter is freaking dead, Hailey! How can you look at the stars after all this?!”
Hailey looked back at her sister and furrowed her brows. “I don’t know what else to do right now. I’m devastated about Carter, I’m worried about you, I’m terrified for Trinity and Trey…None of this was supposed to happen.”
Sara looked away, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to calm herself. Hailey didn’t blame her. She was angry too.
After a few moments, Sara softly said, “Ryan was supposed to kill you. Dad wanted you dead. He was going to make you pay for what I did.”
Rage burned through Hailey, but it was sorrow that splintered her heart. Though David was her father, she’d always known deep down she was expendable to him. He didn’t love his family, he used them. And when they no longer served his purpose, he got rid of them.
How could a father hate his children so much?
All she and Sara ever wanted was his love, but he never had any to give. That was saved for Nicole…and Lauren. For some reason, only those two women were worthy enough of the emotion that seemed to evade their father.
Hailey hadn’t realized she’d never earn his love until that fateful summer. Sara, however, had quickly figured it out and lived her life in retribution. He demanded control, no matter the cost. Hailey thought she had long since dusted herself of his manipulation. Yet, here he was, still controlling them and he wasn’t even near them.
Finally, Hailey said, “Maybe you weren’t doing the right thing. And thirteen years ago, I probably would have blamed you, but we’re not teenagers anymore. This isn’t your fault, even if it feels like it.”
Sara shook her head. “If I hadn’t been so desperate to get back at Dad, Carter wouldn’t be dead.” She pointed to herself. “I’ve been suffering for years because of him. When will it be his turn?!”
Hailey didn’t know what to say. She had often wondered the same thing.
Hailey sat silently and Sara kept her gaze on the stars as if they held all the answers. But they didn’t, they only held secrets.
Finally, Sara said, “What if I have this darkness inside of me that's just waiting to take over? I feel it. I feel this compulsion to give into what I know is wrong. I hate him so much, but I might be everything I hate about him.”
“You’re nothing like him. What you hate about him, the parts of him that he used to destroy people, you used to survive.”
“How do you know? I’m so scared I won’t be able to come back from this dark place.”
“Because you’re scared of it. Because you know it’s darkness.” Hailey sighed. “Dad thrives on darkness. It molded him into a monster. But you…it didn’t mold you; it broke you. And you survived, despite everything he’s done to you.”
Sara simply gave a nod as tears silently streamed down her face. They both looked back at the stars, content with each other’s company.
Thirteen years ago, these same stars watched as Sara’s freedom was stripped from her, a part of her dying right along with their mother.
And thirteen years ago, these same stars watched as Hailey’s body and soul bled, her whole world crumbling around her.
Now, these stars would watch the two of them pick up the pieces and rise from the horror they had endured at the hands of their father.