Page 108 of Stay With Me
“I’ll head to the store and get some coloring books and things to keep her entertained and some snacks from the diner,” Abby says and leans down to Jess. “I’m going to go get us some food and stuff so they can do their work. Do you want anything in particular?”
Jess just shakes her head. “I’m not really hungry.”
“That’s okay. I’m hungry, so I’ll get enough for all of us.” She stands and heads out.
Once everyone has gathered in, I connect my cell phone to the conference phone and call Hunt.
“Hunt here.”
“Hey, we’re back at the station, and Jess is going to start from the beginning.”
“I have the team here on the plane, and we’re ready when she is.”
I lean over the armrest and whisper, “Take your time. Just tell us anything that you can remember, even if you think it doesn’t matter. No one is going to be mad at you. You’re doing something really brave right now. Okay?”
She nods, but her bottom lip quivers.
“Okay, to start this out, save all questions till the end. Let her get the story out,” I tell everyone.
Those in the room nod, and murmurs of agreement can be heard through the speakers.
“The floor is yours, squirt.”
She swallows and wipes her tears. “Um, so it kind of started when I was younger. I was shunned because Luna left. Told that God was angry with me and my family because Luna was a disgrace. I got food last, if at all. I slept separately from everyone else. The only person who was nice to me was Aspen, and I never understood why. Not until Luna told me her story.”
She stops and takes a breath. “Last winter was harsh and cold. A lot of people got sick, and that was when the founding Father passed away. I was told it was my fault, that I brought death to our family. Then Matthew, Father’s son, took over and made me feel cared for. Very few people ever talked to me outside of conversations about my chores. Matthew told me he had a special job for me, and it would save The Family in God’s eyes. That I had to come to this town by?bus and find Luna. Help her find her way back to The Family. At first, I was scared, then the longer I was here, I realized the family I thought I had was never really a family. You all just welcomed me, no questions, and I didn’t know how to tell anyone I wasn’t here because I got away.” Her voice breaks on the last sentence, and she rests her elbows on the table, palms pressing into her eyes.
When she stops talking, it’s like everyone in the room is holding their breath. No one moves or speaks.
“Did you have a way to talk to them?” I ask when I realize she’s told us everything she can think of.
She lifts her face from her hands, her eyes rimmed red. “Yes. I have a phone hidden in my dresser in my room. I would power it on and send messages to Father Matthew.”
I look up at one of the deputies and throw him my keys. Without me having to tell him, he stands and makes his way to the door.
“Can you grab the map in my shed as well?”
He nods and jogs out of the room.
“Did you know how they found her? Did anyone ever tell you?” Hunt’s voice comes across the speakers.
Jess looks at me, and I nod. “No one ever actually told me anything, but one night when I was heading to the stables to check on the animals, I saw someone dragging Aspen into a building I’d never seen anyone use before.”
“Luna still hasn’t heard from Aspen?” Hunt asks.
“Correct.” I confirm.
“I’ll have someone on my team get a warrant to check the PO box to see if anything has shown up,” Hunt murmurs, papers shuffling in the background.
I check my watch. It’s been over an hour since Luna was taken. “Okay, Hunt, what alerted you to The Family being in the town over?”
“We got a call from local PD saying they received a report of a citizen chasing someone off their property, and the person chased off matched the information from the BOLOs we sent out. Thankfully the owners had security cameras because they’re close to the bus station and have had problems with transients in the past. Picture matches a man named Chris Smith. He is Matthew’s second hand.”
Jess goes stiff when he says the name.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, he’s really mean. He was one of the meanest people out of the whole family. He would often make me skip dinner and sleep in the stalls because I didn’t clean them to his liking.”
