Page 66 of Deeper Than the Dead

Vera turned her head to look at her sister. She was still wearing her pajamas. She was soaked to the bone.

“Why is Luna naked?” she demanded. The baby’s little body shook with sobs but at least the wailing had stopped.

Of all the things that came to mind to ask, that seemed the least important, yet it was easier than asking how the hell their stepmother had ended up on the floor ... dead.

Eve took a long, deep breath as if needing to steady herself. “I was asleep. Luna screaming woke me up.” She gestured to her bedroom door. “I got up and came out here to see what was going on.” Her face turned an even whiter shade. “Sheree was ... giving the baby a bath. I ... I thought, but as I watched, I realized she was trying ... to drown her.”

“What?” The idea took horrifying shape in Vera’s head. “Are you sure?”

Eve’s head popped up and down so fast it was a miracle it didn’t break her neck.

“What did you do?” Vera’s stomach tied into knots. Luna wailed again. Vera bounced her up and down and made shushing sounds in her ear. Her heart thundered in time with the baby’s. This couldn’t be real. Please let it be a dream.

Her gaze landed on Sheree again. But it was real. The wicked witch was dead ... but how did they explain this to Daddy? She glared at Eve. “Tell me what you did,” she growled as quietly as her temper would allow.

“I ran to the bathtub and started trying to take Luna away from her. We struggled, and she fell backward and ...” Her voice trailed off, and her gaze settled on the scene in the bathroom. “She hit her head. Real hard. I tried to pull her up, but she just lay there. She blinked a few times and then ... she just stopped.”

“Okay.” Vera nodded. Took a breath. “We ... we should call Daddy.”

“No!” Eve rushed to her side. Luna whimpered. “You know he’ll blame me. Sheree has him believing I’m always doing things to make her unhappy. Everything that happens around here is my fault.”

Studiously bouncing the baby and smoothing a hand up and down her back, Vera tried to think. Her sister was right. They would be blamed for this—no matter that Vera hadn’t even been home. Her heart twisted. Eve was the only family she had left. Their daddy had a new family since Mama died. He would probably be happy if they were sent away to reform school or some sort of prison.

“Okay,” Vera said, then she took a deep breath. “We have to make it look like this didn’t happen.”

Hope welled in her sister’s eyes. “You’ll help me?”

“Of course, dummy. I’m your sister.” She held Luna tighter. She was baby Luna’s too. “First, we have to ...” Her gaze drifted back to the floor, where water had sloshed from the tub ... and where Sheree’s body lay motionless, her eyes open. “We have to get rid of ... her.”

Eve nodded, her head doing that wild up and down motion again. “But where will we put her?”

Had to be someplace no one would find her. Vera’s mind raced over the possibilities.

“The cave,” they said in unison.

Vera’s gaze locked with Eve’s. “We’re getting too old to play there anyway.”

Eve nodded. “Daddy will never think to look there, because we’re not supposed to be in there.”

“No one will look there,” Vera agreed. “No one even knows about it.”

“Mama knew.”

Her sister’s voice sounded so small and pitiful, it made tears well in Vera’s eyes. “Mama would think it’s the best plan too.”

Eve looked at Sheree. “How do we do this?”

“We’ll need the baby carrier so I can strap Luna to my back.”

“We’re taking the baby with us?” Eve made a face. “That’s crazy.”

Vera sent a look that warned her sister that she better shut up. “I’m not leaving her here alone.”

Eve shrugged. “Whatever.”

Better than half an hour was lost to strapping the baby onto Vera’s back and dragging Sheree into the hall and onto a bed sheet. As they rolled her up, Vera was surprised her body didn’t feel stiff like she’d expected. Maybe that happened later. Then it took even more time to clean up the bathroom just in case their daddy came home before they got back.

“Okay.” Vera picked up the end of the sheet at Sheree’s feet. “Grab that end,” she said to Eve, “and lift.”

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