Shattered Secrets Read Free

moved away when Lee himself didn’t seem interested? How many young women—Gracie was twenty-eight, four years older than Tess—would care so deeply about her? Why, at times Gracie seemed more of a sister to her than Char or Kate. She’d seen more of Gracie over the past five years, before Lee turned into such a religious man and they stopped visiting her and Mom in Michigan. The last time she’d seen them was at her mother’s funeral just last year.
    “I can’t wait to see how big Kelsey and Ethan are now,” Tess told her. “I love kids that age, same as the ones I work with. And just the ages I want to care for when I can sell this place and buy my child care center back home.”
    “Back home,” Gracie said, giving Tess a quick goodbye hug. “Isn’t back home really here? Well, I know about the bad things, but you have the strength to put it all behind you, and we wish you’d stay around longer.”
    “One week, maybe two max, but we’ll make each day count. And when I get my place back in Jackson, you can come visit.”
    “Well,” Gracie drawled, “don’t know about that with our new commitments and all.”
    Tess frowned and looked out the kitchen window at the rain falling. The security light flooded the backyard with brightness. Her mother had put that in after Tess was taken, even before she found her way home.
    As Gracie opened the back door she said, “I’ll bring the kids to see you tomorrow, if it’s allowed.”
    “Why wouldn’t it be allowed?”
    “Their school and work schedule. I’m not sure.”
    “Work? They’re four and two years old.”
    “They learn to work during play!”
    “Okay, okay. I’d love to meet with their teachers. We can exchange ideas.”
    Gracie hesitated between the inside wooden door and the glass storm door. Tess sensed she wanted to change the subject. “You still might want to rent out this place,” Gracie said, her hand on the knob. “Real estate’s not moving well around here.”
    “Two things I’ve decided for sure. One, I’m going to advertise and sell it myself so I don’t have to pay a Realtor commission. And two, I don’t want to rent it. I want it gone with the bad memories because I’m making only good ones now. And you’ve helped a lot. Thanks for cleaning the place. And for the cider, cheese and apple crisp in the fridge. See you tomorrow!”
    They hugged again, and Gracie darted out into the rain. Tess watched the overhead light in her old black car pop on, then her headlights as they disappeared down the driveway. Slanting rain and gray gloom swallowed the two red taillights like a wild animal’s eyes closing.
    Tess glanced out the back window again at the place where the nightmare had started—and at this time of year. She had to fight the memories. The cornfield lay so close, so vast at the edge of the backyard, then curled around the house to join the field between the Lockwood and McCord houses. The day she’d been taken was a sunny one but with rain clouds threatening from the distant fringe of blue-green hills.
    She’d run into the field, hiding from Gabe, who’d agreed to watch her and two other kids when her mom had to pick up Kate and Char at school and take them to the dentist. They were all just playing in the backyard. Gabe had watched them before for short periods. There was no problem....
    Tess stood frozen, lost in thought. Unlike her sisters, she’d always had perfect teeth and she was so young, they had not taken her that day. After her father left the family, there was never any money for things like an orthodontist. Both of her older sisters ended up paying for their own teeth straightening as adults.
    “Lots of folks around here have natural teeth, Claire!” she remembered her dad shouting at her mom. “We come from good Appalachian stock,” he’d said more than once, “not those fancy folks starting to buy land over by Lake Azure who get their teeth fixed and face-lifts!”
    Strange that the little Tess