The next morning, Sawyer woke me with a gentle slap on the face. He was really being sweet, but no pat on my head at six forty-five feels tender. Fortunately, I managed to smile and say, “Good morning, Love Bug. Don’t you want to come lay down just a little while longer?” instead of swearing.
Unfortunately, no matter how much I hoped, my little boy did not go back to bed once he was up. Sometimes, I could convince him to lay beside Beauregard at the foot of the bed, and I’d grab a few more minutes. But typically, the cost of this ploy – Beau’s haughtiness and sometimes horribly placed hairballs – were not worth the three-and-a-half extra minutes of shut-eye. Beau loved Sawyer, but from a distance, and, before dawn, I felt much the same.
Still, I forced my eyes open, stood up, and got my slippers on before a tiny head barreled into my thigh and said, “Come on, Mama, let’s go downstairs.”
I thudded my way down the stairs as Sawyer bounced ahead of me, and when he dropped onto the couch with his toy excavator, I made my way into the kitchen to start the coffee. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t using an electric coffee maker but a French press, and I couldn’t say I hated it. It was faster and more energy-efficient, and I also thought the coffee was better, richer. Honestly, though, most mornings, I would have been quite satisfied with fast food coffee or a caffeine IV.
The kettle on and the coffee grounds scooped, I headed back in and sat next to my son. Fortunately, I had managed to tuck my now perfectly organized sewing basket back into its cabinet the night before, so it was safe and sound (at least until Sawyer found the hiding spot). He was a bit young and busy for sewing lessons just yet, so, instead, I settled for watching his favorite young singer perform on America’s Got Talent. He could watch that little girl sing the same song over and over again all day. She was a powerhouse. I had to give him credit for good taste.
Our quiet moments were short-lived, however, because the sun was streaming through the farmhouse windows and Sawyer was itching to get out there. I downed my first mug of coffee while I got him into his clothes. He didn’t even protest because I promised him some time at the playground first thing. Then, I skittered upstairs to don my own layers of warmth to stave off the chilly temperatures while I did a little research from a park bench near the slides.
A travel mug of coffee and a toddler who only deigned to wear a jacket on threat of staying home made up my entourage as we loaded into the car for a drive over to the county park. This early in the day, only other toddlers would be there, and by silent agreement the other parents and I would sit quietly in our own corners and enjoy some quiet time while being sure no one in our line of sight broke an arm. There is really nothing quite like never being alone while also not being able to carry on a real conversation with the person constantly in your presence. It was one of the hardest things about single parenting for me.
Only one other family was there, a woman and a man and a little girl. I presumed the man and woman were the little girl’s parents, but given my experience with being labeled Sawyer’s grandmother far too often, I did my best not to assume anything about how those three people were connected.
The girl looked to be about Sawyer’s age with two blonde pigtails sticking up above her rosy-cheeked face. She was dressed in so much baby pink that I wondered if her parents had simply opted for a single-color for her wardrobe in the hopes of ease. Baby pink was not my favorite color, but I had to admit that the hue looked really nice against her ivory skin. She was truly adorable.
Sawyer took to her immediately and invited her to do everything with him – climb the two-story climbing wall, descend the rope ladder, slide on the twisty slide. The little girl shook her head every time, and I didn’t blame her. She climbed well for a toddler, very well, but compared to my son, she seemed behind. This was the curse of Sawyer’s physical precociousness – other kids his age just couldn’t do what he did, and older kids wanted to play more complex games than he was able to mentally grasp. So he often played alone and just watched the other children. My heart broke for him a little, but I knew it would all level out in time. His body would slow down, and his brain would catch up. Meanwhile, he’d learn how to manage difference, and that wasn’t a bad thing at all.
Eventually, he and the little girl settled into a quiet game of piling up rubber chunks from beneath the monkey bars, and Sawyer seemed quite happy. Eventually, the woman who was with the little girl came over and said, “They’re pretty cute, huh?”
I smiled up at her and scooted over so she could sit. “They are,” I said as she settled onto the bench next to me. “That’s my son, Sawyer.”
“He’s adorable, and he can really climb,” she said.
“Tell me about it,” I replied. “More than once I’ve pondered which is worse – him breaking an arm or the one I’ll get trying to catch him.”
“Wow. Nadia there doesn’t really do climbing. She’s much more of a ‘read books to her dolls’ kind of girl,” she said.
“My kind of woman,” I said. “I’m Paisley.”
“Yes, we know who you are,” the man who’d been with the woman said from just behind my head. “Paisley Sutton.” His voice was tight with something that sounded a lot like anger.
I didn’t like him behind me like that, so I stood up and faced him and the woman, who stayed on the bench and looked mortified. “Do I know you?” I said and glanced behind me to be sure Sawyer was still where I’d last seen him. He was, and I quickly calculated how I could grab him and get to the car if need be. This guy was giving me the creeps.
He was tall, over six feet, and wore a camo baseball cap low down over his eyes. The skin beneath his dark stubble looked sweaty, like he’d just come in from a run. “No, you don’t know me, but I heard talk that you’ve heard of me.”
The woman stood up and stepped toward me. At first, I thought she was moving to defend me, but then I noticed she stood just a bit behind me, putting me between her and the man. “Stop it, Scott,” she said quietly.
I froze and took a quick breath, but fortunately, Scott was glaring at the woman and didn’t notice. “I’m sorry, Scott. I don’t think I do know you. Help me out?” I’d learned from experience that playing dumb was the best course of action when it came to men who liked to bully.
“You’re going to act like you didn’t sic the sheriff on me this morning?” He stepped from around the bench, and the woman and I both took a step back.
Another quick glance back told me that Sawyer had noticed the situation and was coming this way. I reached a hand back and felt his fingers grab mine.
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” This time, my confusion was very real. It was pretty early, not even nine, so I was surprised that Santiago had already talked to Scott . . . but more, I knew that Santiago would never tell Scott anything about me, not for any reason, but especially not if the guy was dangerous. And there was no doubt, this guy was dangerous.
“Rocket’s mom called my sister there to tell her about the sheriff coming. Wanted us to be prepared, right, Renee?” He took another step forward, and the four of us – Nadia was now in her mother’s arms – stepped back again.
“That’s right, Scott. When you heard me talking to Olivia, it was because Olivia wanted both of us to know the sheriff was coming. That’s why I suggested we come here, to get some quiet and privacy.” Renee was speaking calmly and evenly, but her eyes kept flicking over to me. She wanted me to understand, and I did. She was warning me, telling me to keep up her story.
“Oh, you were Rocket’s girlfriend, Renee,” I said as casually as I could. “It’s so nice to meet you. And you must be her brother, Scott. Nice to meet you, too.” My experience of life had also taught me that bullies can often be easily flattered.
Scott did seem to draw back a bit, or at least the menacing energy that was flying off him reined in a little.
“Yeah, we were there when the sheriff gave Olivia the news about Rocket’s body yesterday,” I said. “I’m sorry to you both. You were all so close, and I know it must have been hard to hear about your friend being mu—dead.” I didn’t think it wise to bring up murder here, and I was glad I caught myself.
Scott harrumphed, but then he turned away and said, “Yeah, sad news.” He didn’t sound sincere, but I’d take anything that distracted him.
I cut my eyes to Renee quickly, and she nodded. “That’s right. We were all close. Olivia didn’t say, but maybe you know.” Her eyes widened as if begging me to understand again. “The sheriff wanted to talk to us because he was hoping we might be able to give him some information that would help him understand how Stephen died, that right?”
I swallowed hard. “Yep, I expect that’s it exactly. No one is sure what happened and why Rocket ended up in that house.” I knew it was a little risky to reveal where the body had been found, but I figured that the news had already traveled out so it was worth the risk if I sounded credible. “I bet the sheriff just hoped two of his closest friends could shed some light on things.”
By this time, Scott looked bored and was far more tilty on his feet. The flask he pulled out of his back pocket told me all I needed to know about where that wobble was coming from and about what we needed to do. We needed a way out, and fast . . . for all four of us.
I scouted about, but there was no one else around. My car was a good fifty feet away, and while Renee and Scott’s was closer, I was willing to bet she didn’t have the keys. I was just about to slide my hand into my pocket and dial nine-one-one for help when Scott said, “I have to pee,” and wandered toward the concession stand on the other side of the playground from us.
“We’ll have to risk it. Let’s go,” I said to Renee, and without another word, the four of us flew into my car, Renee in the back with the two kids, and me in the front, and we sped out of the parking lot before Scott could even get his fly up.
I drove as quickly and as carefully as I could since the children weren’t in their car seats. Fortunately, Sawyer thought it all a big game and cheered the whole time. Nadia and Renee looked terrified, but I couldn’t blame them. Renee, though, kept her wits about her and said, “The child locks are on back here, right?”
I nodded as I reached over and locked the window controls, too. “The sheriff is a friend. I’m going to his office. We’ll park out back in the lot with the cruisers. They’ll keep us safe.”
Renee nodded, and I made my way, with as much speed as I safely could muster, the five minutes into town.
Renee and I shuffled the stunned children into the station, and the dispatcher took one look at us and called the sheriff. “Sheriff, we need you out here, right now,” he said.
Santiago strode out of his office, saw me, and pointed to his office door. The four of us made our way in, and I heard him tell the dispatcher, “We need chocolate milk and coffee . . . and find some markers and paper.”
Despite the adrenaline coursing through me, I smiled. He always knew just what to do.
Renee and I each took a seat and pulled our toddlers close. I reached over and put my hand over hers, but she didn’t respond. From the way all the blood had left her face, I figured she was doing everything she could to keep it together for Nadia. I’d had those moments – although not quite this scary – and I knew how important it was for her to stay calm with her daughter nearby.
Santiago sat on the top of his desk and looked at the four of us closely. Sawyer was staring at the edge of the desk, and Santiago gently knelt down and put his face in Saw’s line of vision. “Hi Sawyer. It’s good to see you. Your mom and her friend are going to talk to me now. Is that okay?”
My son broke out of his stare long enough to give a little nod, and then Santiago turned to Nadia. “Hi, Little Lady. I’m Sheriff Shifflett. Is it okay with you if your mommy—” He looked up at Renee, who nodded. “—if your mommy tells me your name?”
Nadia gave the tiniest nod possible then buried her face in Renee’s chest. “Her name is Nadia, and I’m Renee. Renee Morris.” Her voice was steady but very soft, and again, I got the impression she was holding on by a thread.
“Would you like to tell me what happened, or do we need to wait a little while, get everyone settled, maybe get Ms. Mika to come down?” Santiago said as he held my gaze.
“I heard you ask for chocolate milk,” I said, feeling my body begin to tremble as the adrenaline surge left my muscles. “We might all need some of that, and yes, let’s call Mika. Maybe we could all go to her store and let the kids play while we talk.” I nodded slowly to Santiago, knowing he would understand that we didn’t want to scare the children further.
“I love that idea. Let me check on that chocolate milk, and I’ll be right back.” He put his hand quickly on my shoulder as he left, and I turned to Renee again. She still looked terrified, but at least some color was beginning to come back into her cheeks.
Sawyer slid down to the floor and from some reserve of toys and strength pulled out a tiny firetruck and began to scoot it around the chair legs. Nadia caught sight of the game and eventually climbed down beside him.
By the time Santiago returned, both kids were making truck noises and clambering around on his desk and chair. The sheriff smiled and said, “Glad they’re feeling a little better.” He looked at me and a wrinkle formed between his eyes for just a moment before he turned to the children. “Who wants chocolate milk?”
Two tiny faces looked up and smiled, and Santiago gave them small miracles in the form of sippy cups full of thick, sweet milk. Then, he handed two mugs of what turned out to be hot cocoa to Renee and me and said, “I figured you needed the warmth and the sugar. Take your time. Mika will be ready for us when we get there.”
I nodded and mouthed thank-you before letting the trembles travel through my arms. Next to me, Renee clutched her mug with both hands but drank steadily. A little warmth and a little sugar went a long way.
A few minutes later, we moved back through the station, Renee with Nadia on her hip and Sawyer holding Santiago’s hand. I had thought we’d walk the couple blocks up the street, but Santiago proved wiser than I was and had parked his cruiser right by the front door. He strapped the kids into the two cars seats he’d borrowed from the department’s stock for emergencies and then asked Renee and I if we could tolerate close quarters up front with him for the short ride. “If not, Officer Winslow can follow us in another car with one or both of you.”
I could see the beginnings of panic on Renee’s face and quickly said, “We’ll snuggle. No problem. I’ll get in the middle.”
Renee climbed silently in next to me, and then we were off with the lights on and the sirens going as we drove twenty-five miles an hour down Main Street. Nadia and Sawyer were laughing with delight, but the show was setting Renee on edge a bit. I reached over and took her hand and said, “Almost there.”
“He’s going to know where we are,” she whispered.
“I’ve taken steps,” Santiago said quietly. “Officers are in place. You will be safe, and we have a plan for when you leave.” He parked the car in front of Mika’s shop and then looked Renee in the eye. “You are safe.”
She sighed and nodded, and then we stepped out and were met by not only Mika but Dad and Lucille, too. They got the kids out of their car seats and then let Renee guide Nadia into the yarn shop. What I saw there amazed me. Somehow, in the past fifteen minutes, they had constructed an entire maze from cardboard boxes. It ran most of the length of the floor and featured doors of every size and shape. Sawyer was inside it as soon as his grandfather gave him permission, and with a nod from Renee, Nadia followed suit.
Lucille put both her hands on Renee’s shoulders and said, “We will take good care of your girl.” Then, she turned Renee to the back of the store. “That woman there, that’s Officer Winslow. She’s armed and ready. You’re safe.”
I looked back at the deputy in her jogging suit and nodded. She smiled and turned her attention back to the store, keeping an eye on both exits.
Mika led Renee and me to her wingback chairs, which were now positioned in the center of the store instead of in their usual place by the front window. A tall shelf full of baskets of yarn stood between the front of the store and us. It was an unobtrusive but very effective screen, and I was confident that neither Scott nor anyone else could see us or the kids. We really were safe, especially since I could see another police car parked behind Santiago’s and an officer in the front seat.
“How did you know?” I asked first thing. Obviously someone had tipped Santiago off to what had happened. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known to guard us so carefully.
“Someone was walking their dog in the park and saw the interaction with Scott. They lingered because it looked iffy to them and they thought they might need to release their mastiff to scare Scott off if need be.” Santiago smiled. He apparently liked this citizen’s idea of assistance. “But when they saw you bolt for the car, they knew the situation was serious and called us right away. I hoped you’d come to the station, so I waited. If you hadn’t made it there quickly, I was going to call you and find out where you’d gone. We were ready to mobilize.” He gave Renee a long look.
“Thank you,” I said and saw Renee nod beside me.
“Are you two okay? I mean beyond being traumatized and terrified?” the sheriff asked.
“Yes, I think so. Are you okay, Renee?” I hadn’t noticed any bruises or anything to indicate she’d been assaulted physically, but I knew there were ways to hide bruises and that it didn’t have to be physical to be abuse.
“Yes.” Her voice was thin. “I’m okay, and Nadia’s okay. It was a scary morning though.”
“I’m so sorry I put you in danger with my phone call, Renee. I really didn’t think it would set Scott off, not that quickly.” Santiago said as he leaned forward just a little to catch Renee’s eye.
Renee nodded. “Why would you? It was just a call to get information. I told Scott that, but he is so suspicious, so convinced that everyone is out to get him.”
I sighed. “Does he have something to hide?”
Renee shrugged. “I really don’t know. But when he acts like that, it makes me think he does, you know?”
“We’ll get the information we need from him soon, Renee, and we’ll keep you safe while we do. But first, can you tell me what happened this morning? What led you to go to the park?”
Renee ran her fingers down her neck and out of nowhere, Mika appeared with a bottle of water, which Renee took with a small smile. After she took a long pull of the water, she said, “After you called, Scott was storming around the house and throwing things. Talking about how everyone was out to get him for something he didn’t do. That just because he was protecting his little sister that day everyone thought he killed Stephen. He was so furious.” Tears pooled in Renee’s eyes.
I looked at Santiago, and he took a deep breath. “So you thought it might be good to get out of the house, is that right?”
Renee focused on the sheriff again. “Yes, exactly. He was terrifying Nadia, so I told him that I was taking her to the park. But he wouldn’t let us go alone. Said he thought we’d run off and leave him. I had been thinking I’d go away for a while, but he insisted on driving, even though he doesn’t have a car seat in his truck.”
I saw Santiago make a mental note of that before he said, “And that’s when you saw Paisley and Sawyer there?”
Renee swallowed hard and said, “Yes, I’m so sorry. I thought if I came over and talked to you I might be able to convince Scott that you didn’t accuse him of anything. I’d made the mistake of telling Scott that you had mentioned his name as someone who knew Stephen. I’m so sorry I got you into all of this.”
“Please,” I said, “you didn’t do anything wrong. None of us did, okay? Your brother has some, um, issues, and those are his to deal with. I’m glad I was there, actually. Glad we could get away like we did.”
Renee smiled. “I have to admit I would have liked to see Scott’s face if that huge dog had charged him.”
I laughed. “Me, too.”
While the kids tunneled to the center of the earth with Baba and Boppy chasing them and Auntie Mika plying them with cookies, Santiago began to question Renee about Rocket’s death. At first, she was slow to talk, but as she began to remember, the words seemed to spill out as if a logjam in a stream had broken free finally.
Renee said that she and Stephen had been really happy. She was hoping he was going to propose, but then Scott seemed to go kind of crazy. “It was kind of out of nowhere,” she said. “He just started talking about how I was tarnishing my reputation and giving people the wrong impression of me.” Apparently, this kind of talk had gotten worse and worse over a couple of months.
But it all came to a head in the days just before Rocket was killed. “It was horrible. Scott wouldn’t let me out of the house, said I was defiling myself with that man. For three days he kept me locked up until one night after he passed out, I climbed out the bedroom window and ran to my best friend’s house.”
Santiago took down the name of her friend, and I recognized her last name as belonging to a really generous family in Octonia. I made a note to write a story about their family history in one of my newsletters, a sort of quiet tribute to their generosity.
“Did Scott use the word defiled?” I asked when my train of thought returned to the station we were in. “I only ask because that sounds like something really old-fashioned.”
“I know, right?” Renee said. “It was a word he picked up from that church up in Pig Hollow, you know the one where they make the women all wear dresses and work themselves to death for their men?”
Santiago’s expression darkened. “Mountain Green Church, you mean?”
Renee nodded. “Yep, that’s the one. Scott had been going there for a while back about the time Stephen disappeared. I don’t know what he saw in those people, especially in that pastor. All they did was make him feel bad about himself, and when Scott is down on himself he drinks.”
I shuddered. “And I expect the more he drank the more they came down on him, right?” I asked. I knew the type of group that did that – bully people into feeling horrible and then bully them some more when they do anything to dull the pain caused by the bullying.
“Yep. Finally, he stopped going, but only because Stephen convinced him that those people didn’t care about him. He helped Scott see that we actually cared about him and loved him no matter what.” Renee sighed. “It didn’t last long, though, but it was a good couple of weeks. Scott was happy and had stopped drinking. He had started to do some work for some construction company, and he was happy. But that all ended the night he came to the Sutherland’s place. He was back to that controlling BS, and I knew I couldn’t take it anymore.” Renee sunk back into her chair.
“How long after that did Rocket go missing?” Santiago asked.
“Three days.” Renee’s voice was flat.
There were a million things that Santiago could have asked then, things about what Renee thought had happened or if she’d seen her brother do anything suspicious, but he didn’t ask. Instead, he stayed with what Renee actually knew.
“If you don’t mind me asking, Ms. Morris, how did you end up back living with your brother?” Santiago’s tone was kind. He wasn’t judging, just trying to understand.
“Things were hard after Stephen died. I got in with some people who didn’t really care about me, and I made a mistake, just the kind of mistake that Scott had thought I was making with Stephen. I got pregnant, and the guy didn’t want to have any part of it. I couldn’t afford my rent and a baby, and so I had to move home. Scott said he was happy to have us both, but . . .” She didn’t finish her thought, and she didn’t need to.
I turned to watch my son crawl around on the floor and forced myself to notice his chubby cheeks in an effort to not lose my temper.
“Well, you don’t have to go back there again. If you’re willing, Lucille has a place you can go. It’s not too far from here, and they can help you and Nadia get set up in your own place once you’re back on your feet,” the sheriff said as he looked up and caught Lucille’s attention.
She came over, and I stood to give her my seat. She leaned in and took Renee’s hand and began telling her about the shelter down in town where she volunteered. It was a good place, a place Renee and Nadia would be safe and would get the support they needed as they started over.
Santiago bounced his head toward the front of the store. We walked toward the door, and he said, “Now, really, are you okay?”
I sighed. “I am. But that man almost had a mama and a dog at his throat this morning. Coming at me with my son there.” My fear was fading back to let the rage come forward.
Santiago rubbed my arm. “I know. But you did exactly the right thing. I’m so glad you came here. The idea of having to find you with that angry man looking for you, too . . .” He swallowed hard.
“You were the first safe place I thought of,” I said quietly and then let myself briefly fall against his chest as he pulled me close and stroked my hair.
After a few deep breaths, I stood up straighter and said, “You do have people out looking for Scott Morris, right?”
“Looking?!He’s already at the station in a cell! We can hold him for assault using the witness’s testimony, and now that I know he drives around with an unsecured child in his car, we’ve got him for even more.”
All the moisture left my throat. “But I did that, too, with two children.”
“The law makes exceptions for situations of extreme danger. I won’t have to book you today, Paisley,” he said with a smile.
I let out a hard breath. “Okay, good. So next question? Who is this pastor Renee was talking about?”
The sheriff’s jaw tightened. “That’s a conversation for which we need night air and warm drinks. Nine o’clock on your porch tonight?”
I nodded and then looked over to see Renee and Lucille hugging. The two women headed back toward the maze, where Nadia waited for them. Soon, those three and Officer Winslow were headed out the back door, but before they left, Renee turned and waved at me.
I swallowed back my tears and waved back. Goodness, I hoped they were going to be okay.
As soon as they were out of sight, I collapsed into my chair and gave Dad a wan smile as he walked Sawyer past me with a promise of ice cream from the shop up the street. Some very tired and Mom-oriented part of me wanted to say, “Make him eat a vegetable or fruit first,” but the exhausted and still scared part of me couldn’t muster the energy. He would be fine with ice cream for lunch this one day.
Santiago sat down in the chair across from me, and Mika stepped behind me and began to work the knots out of my shoulders. I held back a groan as she worked on the spot below my left shoulder blade that always ached, but I did let my head fall back and a few tears fall.
After a few moments, I looked at Santiago and said, “Thank you again.”
He reached over and put his hand on my knee. “It really is my job, Paisley, but I’m glad to do it. I’m just sorry you had to go through that.”
I patted his hands and let my fingers intertwine with his for just a moment before I leaned back again and sank into Mika’s strong hands.
Santiago stood and said, “Time to do an interrogation. See you later?”
I lifted my head just enough to nod and smile, and then I really let Mika go to town.