CHAPTER 45
Although she knew her aunt meant well, Ruby didn’t take her advice. Instead, she found the address of the sisters’ house in her GPS and started the direct route.
This could not wait.
It was suddenly clear that the danger Nani had seen was not to Ruby, but to her half sister, Luna, who had given Ruby chilling details during their phone call that afternoon. A violent attack. Seclusion in the attic. And no defense. Ruby was her only lifeline.
“You should call the police,” Ruby had told her. “As soon as we finish this call, dial nine-one-one.”
“The police won’t do anything. They’ve been here before, but Leo hides me away in the attic, and they leave. And then Leo stays mad at me for days.”
“Then leave. Can you get out of the house? Get out. I’ll come get you,” Ruby had said, her heart thudding in her chest.
But Luna was locked in the attic, and even if she was released, the doors of the house were locked and alarmed. She was trapped, the house her prison.
And yet the girl had seemed calm, bracing for a coming storm. When Ruby asked how she could help, the call ended. Abruptly. And she hadn’t been able to reach Luna since then.
Forced to take action, Ruby was now so out of her comfort zone. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so hard, her knuckles were pale. This was crazy. But it was the only choice.
This time when Ruby arrived at the house she drove past and parked near the side street, a bit out of the way but close enough to see the house. Her nerves were buzzing as she picked up her cell phone and called 911. Just as Kaysandra had said to do, she requested a welfare check on a child at the sisters’ house, saying that neighbors had witnessed neglect and abuse. When the woman started asking questions, Ruby dodged them, stressing that it was an emergency.
She waited for more than an hour. During that time the gray sky turned to pewter and a van rolled up and entered the garage of the house. The sisters were home.
Hope began to dissolve as dusk pinched the sky. Maybe the cops would take days to respond.
It seemed like ages had passed, but it was just before five o’clock when a police car pulled up in front of the house and a single officer went to the door. Watching him, Ruby made a quick call to Aunt Kaysandra—an insurance policy.
She was relieved when her voice mail kicked in. “Aunt Kaysandra? It’s Ruby. I’m at the house, Luna’s house in East Portland. Just wanted to let you know, I called the police and I’m going to try to get in there. And I am not leaving until she’s free.”
With a deep breath, Ruby went to the front porch. The main door was open. Through the glass of the outer door she could see Leo talking to the cop in the vestibule. It was the same cop who’d been supervising the night of Glory’s fall.
Ruby waited, listening as globs of their conversation swelled through the door. “Welfare check . . . take a look around . . . sorry to bother . . .” Leo seemed gracious, clapping the cop on the back and guiding him into the house.
Once they left the vestibule, Ruby stepped inside and eased the door silently shut behind her. The house was thick with the smell of boiled grains and old shoes, and it seemed that no one had thrown the windows open and aired the place out for years. She followed the men, edging slowly behind them. This sort of aggression was so alien to her usual manners, but she couldn’t back down. No one seemed to notice her as she hung back in the archway leading to the kitchen area.
The back room was a kitchen attached to an eating area with a good-sized table, where a few sisters were congregated. Leo introduced them to the cop. Laura, the petite faded blonde Ruby had seen at the hospital, sat knitting beside the imperious Natalie, who seemed to be filling in some sort of ledger at the head of the table. A graying woman filling a pot at the sink was introduced as Georgina, and a young woman with thick, slightly matted hair who sat at the table, peeling potatoes with a vengeance, was Sienna.
Leo’s girlfriend. Ruby had pieced that together based on information from Glory and Luna.
Laura stood to offer the cop some tea, but he declined. “No, please just do what you’re doing. I’ve been here before. I think I know the lay of the land.” He turned to Leo. “So the caller said you have a child here. A ten-year-old girl.”
“We’ve been through this before.” Leo scratched his jaw with the knuckles of one hand. “They must be thinking about the neighbor girl. Lives over on the side street.” He pointed toward the backyard. “Are they the ones who called?”
“I can’t say, though I don’t really know. The dispatcher didn’t get a name.”
Leo nodded. “A lot of disgruntled people around here. They don’t understand what Natalie and I do. The service we provide to the community. These women here? Without us, they’d be homeless. Out on the streets.”
The cop nodded. “Believe me, I’ve seen plenty of that. You’re doing a good thing here, Leo.”
“Thanks, Jake. I guess you want a look upstairs.”
“I need to do that, and then I’ll get out of your hair.”
“No problem.” Leo chose Sienna to take the officer up. From the way she threw down the potato peeler and pushed away from the table, she didn’t seem too happy about it.
“Just make sure you knock before you open any door,” said Leo. “A few of our sisters are up there. They worked a long day at the hotel, and I like to give them some privacy.”
“Understood.”
Ruby moved aside and pressed herself to the wall of the archway just before Sienna came traipsing through with the cop. Thank God they didn’t notice Ruby. Although she was medium height and willowy, Sienna’s feet were heavy on the stairs, as if she were throwing a tantrum.
“I don’t like her attitude,” Natalie said, loud enough for Ruby to hear her. “You need to control her.”
“She’s getting better,” Leo said. “She’ll learn that sulking won’t get her what she wants. I’m grooming Luna to take over her chores. In a week or so, I’ll be sending Sienna over to the hotel to work with you.”
“Oh, goody. Make her my problem now.”
“You’re so good at fixing things. That’s what big sisters do.”
They switched topics to something about “SNAP” and losing resources, which wasn’t making Natalie happy. She was determined to fix that, too.
The noise of movement on the stairs sent Ruby cowering back into the shadows of the recessed wall until Sienna and the cop moved past her, back into the kitchen.
“All clear up there,” Officer Swanson announced to everyone in the kitchen, and it occurred to Ruby that none of the sisters had said a word since he’d arrived. Were they not allowed to speak? It seemed that way.
“All right, ladies. My apologies for interrupting your evening.” Swanson emerged into the hallway, Leo at his side. “I don’t know who called this in, but the complaint is unfounded.”
“Thanks, Jake. Take it easy out there,” Leo said, walking him to the door.
“Wait. Officer Swanson!” Ruby called after them.
The men turned, both surprised to find her there.
Leo did a double take. “The pretty little rich girl. What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m the one who called in the welfare check,” Ruby said, forcing herself to stand tall, chin up. “I talked to Luna this afternoon, and she’s scared. He’s locked her in the attic.”
“That’s BS. Luna doesn’t talk to anyone.” The malice in Leo’s eyes was cutting. “How did you get in here?”
“The door.” She turned to the cop. “Officer Swanson, have you checked the attic?”
“She’s not one of your sisters?” the cop asked Leo, who shook his head.
“No, I’m the complainant. And I told the dispatcher to make sure you check the attic,” Ruby repeated.
The cop turned to Leo. “You said there’s no attic.”
“Nothing that we use.” Leo shrugged. “There’s some space above the eaves. The door’s been sealed off for years.”
“He’s lying. It’s not sealed off,” Ruby pressed on. “Luna is locked up there whenever they want her out of sight.”
The cop rubbed his lined forehead. “How hard would it be to unseal this door?”
“I can’t really say.”
“Please, Officer Swanson, you need to take a look; you need to talk to her,” Ruby pleaded. “My sister is up there. My half sister, and I’m not leaving until she’s released.”
“You’re Glory’s daughter?” Leo’s eyes seemed to bore into her, getting in her personal space. “I should have known, those blue eyes. Just like her.”
“Stop it.” Ruby stepped back. “I want to see Luna, now. I came here for Luna.”
“Whoa. A little sensitive, aren’t we? I mean, you push into my house and demand to see my daughter, and I’m supposed to produce her?” He scanned his audience: Ruby, the sisters watching from the kitchen, the cop. “As her father, isn’t it my job to protect her?”
“So there is a child?” asked the cop.
“She’s very shy,” Leo said. “And I don’t see why she should be exposed to any of this.”
“I see your point, Leo.” Officer Swanson rubbed his knuckles against his jaw, considering all this. “You know we’d hate to scare the kid, but when we’re called in for a welfare check, it’s for the child’s own good. If we can just get eyes on her, talk with her a minute, that should be satisfactory.”
“It’s not right,” Leo said, appealing directly to the cop. “Invading a man’s home, making demands.”
Ruby was relieved to see that the cop wasn’t backing down. “It’s for the sake of the child.”
Leo looked over at Natalie, who nodded. “All right,” he said. “Georgina, go on up and ask Luna to come down.”
The oldest, grayest woman of the group went up the stairs. Ruby wondered if he’d chosen Georgina to make the whole interview slow and awkward. The men chatted as they moved into the kitchen, the cop trying to reassure Leo that everything would be fine, that his rights weren’t being violated, that laws were in place for a reason.
Ruby edged into the kitchen, aware of fleeting glances from Sienna and Laura, who mostly kept their heads bent to their work. Were they slaves here? Ruby wondered what was keeping these women together here.
The little girl entered with measured steps, hesitating once she made eye contact with Leo. He was controlling her, Ruby realized. Playing mind games. Ruby recognized her from the photo the neighbor had given her—a petite kid dressed in ratty tights with a baggy hoody that she pulled her arms into, as if she wanted to retreat like a turtle. Her face was dominated by big blue eyes and a crescent-shaped scar on one cheek. A fresh wound.
Ruby wanted to lean in and introduce herself. In a normal world she could say, Hey, we’re sisters! and they could hug, but this was the weird, twisted world of dysfunction, and any connection between them could get Luna in trouble. Ruby wasn’t sure if Luna had even noticed her standing in the shadows a few feet from Leo, the sun.
“This is Luna,” Leo said. “Officer Swanson wants to ask you a few questions.”
“Hey there.” The cop leaned down, resting his hands on his knees. “I’m surprised we haven’t met during my past visits. How old are you, Luna?”
“Ten.”
Swanson nodded. “A lot younger than my daughter. She’s in college now. Do you go to school, Luna?”
“She is homeschooled by some of our excellent sisters here,” Natalie answered. “Rachel, an accomplished cellist, is highly skilled in math and music. Kimani teaches science. She was a nurse. And Laura covers language arts.”
“That’s me,” Laura said, looking up from her knitting. “And I just want to say that Luna has strong reading and writing skills. She used to write a series of short stories with her mother.”
Swanson nodded, then pointed to Luna’s cheek. “Got a little honker on your face. What happened there?”
“It was an accident.” She looked past Leo to Natalie, who presided over things from the head of the table. “I bumped into something.”
“It happens. Were you playing sports? Soccer or dodgeball?”
She shook her head.
“Some people have been worried about you. I’m just here to check and make sure that you’re okay. But I see that you’ve got a home, with lots of people to take care of you. You’re getting an education.”
“An education, a roof over her head, and plenty to eat.” Natalie counted off the benefits on one hand. “You may inspect our pantry if you like, Officer.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. I have everything I need.” The cop turned toward the door, clapping Leo on the shoulder. “Thanks for cooperating, buddy.”
“No problem,” Leo said, smiling at Ruby.
“No, wait.” Ruby couldn’t let this one chance slip away. “That’s it?” she asked the cop. “She says things are fine, so you just leave? Can’t you see she’s intimidated by them? Don’t you see the cruelty and the underlying threats here?”
“There’s nothing cruel here. I see a little girl who’s respectful of her parents. I’d like to see more millennials who treat their parents that way.”
“You didn’t ask her if she’s ever seen a doctor. If she’s ever been allowed out of this house. Can’t you see she’s trapped here? She’s never been outside this house?”
He held a hand up to stop her stream of questions. “Take it easy. She goes next door to see the neighbor girl. I heard that myself from Nicole Hanson. Leo and Natalie are good people, doing all right by this kid.”
“But what about the mark on her face? And what happened to her mother, Glory?”
“Glory’s death was ruled an accident,” Natalie piped up. It was eerie, the way she was staring up at Ruby. “I spoke to the coroner last week. It’s sad, the way she fell. We miss her. But life goes on.”
“But wait. She wasn’t the first woman to die here,” Ruby said, desperate to keep the cop here. “There was someone else.”
Natalie looked up at Leo. “Who is this young woman?”
Arms folded, Leo smiled as if Ruby were mildly amusing.
He doesn’t take me seriously, Ruby thought. He thinks I have no power. That will change. “Officer, are you aware of the other woman who died here?”
Frowning, Swanson ran a hand back over his bald head.
“What was her name?” Ruby scanned the blank faces watching her—Luna, Georgina, Leo, Sienna, and Natalie. “She died up in the attic. She died of thirst. Is that cruel enough for you? Annabelle! That was her name. And it was Leo who killed her. Leo.”
“No!” Sienna jumped in. “It wasn’t Leo! He’s a good person. He’s kind and loving. It’s Natalie! She’s the cold bitch who can’t stand to see anyone else happy. She killed Annabelle.”
“Says the woman who never even met her.” Natalie shook her head, sneering disapproval. “You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
Sienna’s eyes flared with fury. “I will never forgive you for killing my baby.” Sienna linked her arm with Leo’s. “Our baby.”
“Stop with the drama,” Natalie said. “Abortion is legal, and you signed the consent yourself.”
“You forced me.” Sienna’s voice was a low growl. “You killed my baby, and you killed that girl in the attic, too. You killed Annabelle! You’re a killer.” Leo held her away from Natalie as the cop stepped between them.
“I understand you’re upset, young lady,” Officer Swanson told Sienna. “But I have to consider facts. How would Natalie get up to the attic in her wheelchair? It’s two stories up, right?”
“She can walk.” The small, chirpy voice belonged to the little girl.
Luna was now the center of everyone’s focus.
“Sometimes,” said Luna. “I’ve seen her walk.”
Natalie shook her head. “Oh, little girl, you are such a liar.”
“She’s not lying,
” Ruby said. “They killed Annabelle because she wouldn’t conform, she wouldn’t follow orders, and . . .” She tried to remember the things Glory had told her. “They buried her body in the backyard.”
Luna stepped up to the cop. “I can show you where she’s buried.”
“That would be helpful,” Swanson told her. “Let me just call this in and get some help out here.” This time, when the officer looked toward Natalie and Leo there was concern in his eyes over the mess that was unraveling at his feet. There would be no smoothing over the situation.
An investigation was under way.
CHAPTER 46
After that, the house became chaotic as Leo tried to corral all the sisters upstairs to their rooms while Officer Swanson overruled his plan, insisting that they remain downstairs until the police could get statements from them. Two other cops had arrived quickly, one taking equipment up to the attic while the other talked with Natalie. While Leo argued with Sienna and Natalie yelled that no one was listening to her, Ruby went out the back door with Luna, who was determined to show Swanson where Annabelle was buried.
“We gave her a funeral,” Luna said. “But it was very sad. Mama said Leo killed her. Is he going to get in trouble?” she asked.
“It appears that way,” the cop said, photographing the rectangle of mossy earth in the dying light.
“Will you excavate her bones?” Ruby asked.
He nodded. “Forensics might want to x-ray first. And we’ll revisit the death of Glory Noland, which was never really solved.”
“I can tell you about that, too,” Luna said. “It was an accident, sort of. Mama used to sneak out at night and meet people by climbing down to the shed under our window. Then Leo and Sienna moved it over there.” She pointed across the yard, and Swanson shone his flashlight on the rubber shed in the corner of the yard. “Sienna said Leo moved it to stop Mama from sneaking out. He didn’t know he was killing her.”
“It was all about control,” Ruby said aloud, thinking of the patterns of abuse she’d read about.
The Sisters Page 31