“You have to believe me,” Clara moaned from the floor. It looked like the news that her sister was missing had caused real, physical pain. She was writhing on the floor as though she were in agony.
“Tell me what happened. I need to know.”
“Martin always said he’d make Lily disappear if Nova tried to leave him. She wanted to run away with Lily, go stay with my daughter… It was only supposed to be temporary. We had a plan and Rachel wanted to help us. Rachel and I are sisters, but we haven’t been close in years…but then…well, we both cared about Nova. Rachel was her midwife during her first pregnancy. For a long time, Rachel suspected she and Lily were being abused…
“Rachel agreed to drive down here and leave Nova the truck. She bought it cheaply from one of her former clients, another member of the site…”
I put up a hand to stop her. “Why didn’t Nova just drive her own car? This is weird.”
But Clara was shaking her head. “The Celica was in Martin’s name, just like everything else they owned. We couldn’t put it past him that he might report it stolen, or even have a tracking device on there…”
“Okay. Keep going,” I urged her.
“The truck was an escape vehicle for Nova. Rachel was supposed to come back to my house afterwards, to arrange a rental car back home. But she never showed up, and then I heard about the truck just sitting there…I guessed Martin had got them. All three of them…” Clara started wailing again.
“So, Rachel delivered Nova’s baby? Lily was real, then.”
Clara let out a strange laugh. “Of course, she’s real. Like I said, Rachel was Nova’s midwife during her first pregnancy. But then she lost the baby. A baby boy named Matthew. Martin blamed her for losing the baby. He wanted a child so badly…and he also didn’t want Nova getting any medical help with Lily’s birth. Rachel did an ultrasound for her, but then she just assumed Nova got a different doctor…that wasn’t the case though. Martin forced her to deliver the baby all on her own. Lily was born on the bathroom floor. Even Martin didn’t stay by her side. He didn’t want anyone involved. He was practically holding them prisoner! But then, Nova needed a babysitter, so she called Rachel. Technically, Rachel was the only person who could verify Lily’s existence—besides Nova and Martin, she’s the only other living soul who’s laid eyes on her. Do you think that’s why Martin took my sister?” Clara’s face crumbled.
“How did you connect with Nova on the website? Did Rachel ask you to do that, to reach out to her?”
Clara shook her head. “No, I’ve always been a member of Krissy’s website. In fact, I was one of the first members. My husband was abusive, so you see…Krissy was inspired to help women like me because she grew up in an abusive household.”
My cell phone buzzed in my pocket and I turned away to take the call.
“Sergeant, I’m so glad you called. I—what? Okay, I’m on my way.” I pointed at Clara and said, “Don’t move a muscle till I get back. I’m serious.”
“Where are you going?” Clara pleaded.
It almost hurt me to say it because I could tell she was hurting. “That was Sam. They think they just found Nova’s body.”