Sherry took the phone and held it close. She smiled. “Sweet little Sarah. She cried a lot, too. I did the best I could, but she upset the others. She was always asking to go home. Henry told me she needed to sleep, too.”
Cassie’s stomach churned. Sarah had met the same fate as Sebastian. “Is that what happened?”
“She was so tiny. I only gave her a little. I just wanted her to be quiet. But she slept, too. Just like Ethan.”
Cassie swallowed the bile stuck in her throat and took her phone back. “What about the other kids? Did you make them sleep, too?”
Sherry shook her head. “Most of them were good. They’d be quiet if you gave them some food or a toy. Those were the ones we could give to the people who wanted them.”
She didn’t bother keeping the accusation out of her voice this time. “You didn’t think their parents wanted them?”
“Some of them came in with bruises. Some were bad. They just needed attention and love. I did that. For Ethan. So he would come back to me some day.”
Cassie took a deep breath. Sarah hadn’t had any bruises. She hadn’t been a bad kid. It was only because Sherry Miller had seen her out in those woods that night.
“So, Hank would take the kids and they wouldn’t come back after that? Did that make you sad?”
“Sometimes. But then he would bring more. And I would be happy again.”
“Did he ever find Ethan again?”
“Only in my dreams.” She looked around the room. “Sometimes he visits me. But he doesn’t stay for very long.”
Cassie followed the woman’s gaze, half expecting Sebastian to be standing there in the corner, staring at them. But the room only held the living, and for once, Cassie was glad the little boy wasn’t there. Seeing him would make her heart break all over again.
“What happened to Hank?”
“One day, he took us on a trip. He asked me to put the kids to sleep, so I did. Then we all went camping in the woods.”
Cassie didn’t have to ask what happened next, but she felt compelled to anyway. “They didn’t wake up, did they?”
“They were so peaceful. Always happier when they were asleep.”
Someone cleared their throat behind Cassie. She turned to see a muscular man holding a tray with a sandwich and a bowl of fruit. “Sorry to interrupt, but Ms. Miller needs to eat her lunch now.”
“That’s okay. Can I have one more minute with her?”
The man nodded and stepped just out of earshot. Cassie turned back to Sherry. She still had so many questions—how she escaped Hank, if she knew the names of the other kids who’d been kidnapped, what happened to the kids who weren’t put to sleep—but she only had time for one more.
“Do you remember where you went camping? Was the drive very long?”
“We didn’t drive. We walked.” Sherry smiled. “The kids were so excited. They weren’t usually allowed in the backyard. They’re so easy to entertain at that age.”
Cassie took a deep breath. She was caught between pity and anguish. “Thank you for talking to me, Sherry. I appreciate it.”
Sherry smiled and looked for the man with the tray. He walked over and handed it to her, then wheeled her over to a table. Cassie had learned so much, and yet there were so many gaps in the story. But she knew what had happened to Sebastian, and she knew what had happened to Sarah. She had gotten some semblance of closure. She stopped the recorder.
Cassie now had enough information to hand over to the police. It would be up to them to close this case, to ensure Henry Fitzpatrick rotted in jail for the rest of his life. Cassie wasn’t sure what would happen to Sherry, given her condition. After Hank’s manipulation and years of convincing herself she was trying to help them, Sherry Miller couldn’t fully understand what Hank had made her do when she was at the lowest point in her life. And it would be up to a judge to decide if she should spend the rest of her life living with the consequences of her actions.
What mattered most now was finding the bodies of the kids she’d put to sleep. Maybe Cassie would finally be able to tell Mrs. Lennox where her little girl was buried.
43
Cassie held herself together until she reached her car. But as soon as she shut the door behind her, the tears flowed with abandon. There was no controlling them, and she cried until she had no more tears left.
Twenty-five years after her best friend had disappeared, Cassie had answers, not only about Sarah but about herself.
Her subconscious had tried to convince her it was her fault Sarah died. Cassie hadn’t understood how much that had been weighing her down until she realized it was pure coincidence Sarah had been taken. If they had been staying at Cassie’s house that night, she or her sister could’ve been the next victim.
It should’ve been Cassie, but it wasn’t. And she’d never be able to apologize to Sarah for that.
Cassie dried her eyes. She put her car into drive. Savannah was a blur as she drove through the city. Purpose kept her from crying again. There was no guarantee they’d recover Sarah’s body, but that didn’t mean Cassie couldn’t pay her respects at her gravesite, even if it was empty.
When Cassie pulled into the graveyard parking lot, she let her sadness wash over her again. But this time it felt different. Instead of guilt or anger or pain, it felt like grief. Mourning. She finally had some answers, and soon enough, maybe the rest of the world would, too.
Cassie dialed David’s phone number. It immediately went to voicemail. Part of her was relieved. Her knowledge weighed her down, but she wasn’t ready to relive it. Maybe that could wait until tomorrow.
“Hey, it’s
