Chapter 63

Avoiding Maya's gaze, the girl turned her attention to the wall behind her. "I told you that I was afraid of my sister. Now I'm beginning to realize why. She always made sure we were safe, protected us from things that scared or worried her. Sometimes she went overboard with the rules, making us so miserable that we wanted to run away. But I never thought she'd hurt anyone. Not really."

Maya reached out, placing her hand gently over the girl's trembling fingers. "Who else knew where you lived?" she asked, recalling their first meeting.

The girl looked at Maya, then shook her head. "No one," she whispered.

"Do you have any enemies?" Maya inquired further.

"Not that I know of."

"Did she?"

The girl shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "Sometimes people didn't like her being around them. When she started dating different guys. Or when they found out she had a baby. They tried to make her leave. We moved plenty of times."

"And you never got in trouble