Page 174 of The Woman Left Behind

Harry took my hand and guided me that way.

Rus was waiting until I took a seat, but I didn’t take a seat.

I was freaking out.

I wasn’t sure what I was feeling from them, but it seemed…electric.

However, I’d been trained by my mother and Ronetta, so I offered Rus, “Can I get you a drink?”

“This really won’t take long, so no,” Rus declined. “But thank you.”

I nodded.

“Sit down, Lill,” Harry murmured.

I sat down.

Rus did too.

Harry did as well.

I was at the end of the table, they were on either side of me.

“What do you want to know?” I asked.

“In your mother’s journal, she wrote that your father heard someone talking to Gerald Dietrich about his financial situation and setting up to make a fraudulent insurance claim,” Rus began.

I nodded.

“Did you hear either of your parents talk about that?” Rus inquired.

I shook my head, trying to calm my heart. It was beating like crazy.

“Nothing?” Rus pressed.

I again shook my head.

Rus switched topics. “You mentioned that Dern was harassing your mom.”

This time, I nodded.

“Did you notice him doing that?”

I shook my head.

“Not at all?”

“Dad was really protective,” I said in a small voice. “Mom was too. I mean, I did hear them discussing it. But I didn’t see anything. I just know Mom was super freaked about it, and Dad was super pissed.”

“Did you notice any other sheriff’s deputies paying particular attention to your parents or this house?”

“Well, they arrested Mom and Dad, and after they took off, Dern would come around every once in a while to ask if I’d seen them. But other than that…no.”

Rus looked to Harry.

“Except the guy he had sitting on our house,” I added.

Rus’s eyes raced to mine.

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