Margaret stared at her.
“I tried.”
“He was nine.”
“He had seen everything.”
“But Richard got to him first.”
“What did he say?”
“He told Nathan I caused the accident.”
“He told him Emily ran away because I screamed.”
“He told him I was sick.”
Margaret’s eyes hardened.
“And then he spent years making Nathan believe I was unstable.”
Sophie thought about Nathan’s phone call.
The word tantrum returned to her.
She felt anger.
But something didn’t fit.
“Margaret, Nathan was old enough to remember a sister.”
“He does.”
Margaret’s answer came quickly.
“He remembers her.”
“But he believes she died.”
Sophie nodded slowly.
“That makes sense.”
Margaret opened another envelope.
Inside was a faded letter.
The handwriting was shaky.
“This arrived six months after Emily disappeared.”
Sophie unfolded it.
There were only three lines.
I am sorry.
I could not stop him.
Your daughter is alive.
