The Sinner - Molly O'Keefe Page 0,66

house.”

“She’s not my mother,” I said, nasty and cold. “She’s no one.”

“I’m your daughter’s grandmother,” Vanessa said, such a vicious low blow that I jerked into action, stepping right into my mother’s face.

“You stay away from Katie,” I hissed. Then understanding dawned. “That was you. That second break-in through Katie’s room?”

“I didn’t even know you had a daughter,” Vanessa said, her eyes suddenly full. “I’m a grandmother and I didn’t know. She’s so beautiful, Savvy. So—”

I reeled back. What was this? Grief? Regret? A thousand strings attached to my stomach yanked and I thought I might be sick.

“You left me,” I stammered. “You walked away. Twenty years ago! You don’t get to cry. You don’t get—”

“I missed you,” Vanessa said. “Every minute of all of those years, I missed you.”

I put my hand to my head, a sudden headache. A sudden desire to scream clawing its way up my throat.

“Then you probably shouldn’t have left,” Matt said. “You probably shouldn’t have abandoned your children.”

“What the hell do you know about it?” Vanessa said, pushing at him, a little snarl replacing those tears.

“I know you don’t leave behind your kids,” Matt said, pushing back. “And then break into their home and make them feel unsafe.”

“I’m not here to hurt anyone,” Vanessa said, her eyes pleading in my direction. Fires raged inside of me, questions and anger and hurt. Every single thing I thought I’d gotten over was right here as I stared into my mother’s lovely face.

Why did you leave me?

What is wrong with me?

Why does everyone go?

“Savannah,” Vanessa said. “You have to listen to me. There is a fortune in gems hidden in this house. We could find them. You and I. We could—”

“Where have you been?” I interrupted. “All these years?”

Vanessa’s eyes grew colder, harder, the charade of the loving absentee mother falling apart. “Here and there,” Vanessa said, rushing on to add, “But I was always thinking of you. I tried to come back, I tried—”

Lies. All I’d get from my own mother were lies.

“Why are you here now?” Matt asked.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Vanessa answered.

“My father is Joel Woods,” he said and Vanessa’s eyes flared, her face growing older, uglier every minute.

“Did you steal those gems from Joel and hide them here?” I asked.

Vanessa jaw clenched. “No—”

“You’re lying.”

“I swear—”

“Get out!” I yelled. “Get out of here. That man is in jail and he’s twice the person you are. He stayed with his son. Taught him how to play cards and music. Made him macaroni and cheese when he was hungry. What did you do, Mom? Twenty years I waited for you!”

“I swear to you, Savannah. I didn’t steal those gems.”

“I can’t believe a word you say.”

“Fine. Maybe we should wake Margot up and ask her if she knows about the gems,” Vanessa said.

“I’m already awake,” Margot said, in the doorway, cinching the belt on her robe. “And I’ve called the police.”

Vanessa jerked at that, but Matt held on tight.

“I told you, you weren’t welcome in my home,” Margot said. “Twenty years ago I said if you left these children here, you weren’t to come back.”

“They’re my kids!” Vanessa cried.

“Stop pretending you’re here for me!” I yelled. “Stop pretending you care. If you cared, you’d have never left.”

“I had things I had to do, honey,” Vanessa said, looking like every con man that ever was.

As suddenly as it arrived, the rage left me, taking all of my strength, leaving me weak and sad and small. There was no point to this. None at all.

“Matt,” I sighed. “Can you throw her out of my house?”

“Ask her about the gems, Savvy,” Vanessa cried. “Ask Margot about Richard—”

“Richard?” I asked and Matt cleared his throat.

“My father’s partner was Richard Bonavie,” he said quietly.

“My dad?” I cried. “My dad was involved in this and you’re just telling me now?”

Matt’s eyes flickered to Margot and I spun to face my grandmother. “You knew?”

“I didn’t think it was relevant,” Margot said.

My head nearly exploded.

“You see, Savannah?” Vanessa whispered. “You see how she manipulates? How she lies and turns everything around? Ask her about the gems.” Vanessa laughed. “Better yet, ask your dear grandmother why I never came back. Really. Ask her about the money.”

“Money?” I whispered.

“Ten thousand dollars a year to stay away from my own kids.”

I turned to my grandmother.

“She would have been back every year,” Margot said, her face hard. “She’d be back and play house with you children. She’d toy with you and then vanish again. It’s