“This isn’t the first time you’ve taken off,” I said.

“I know. But the other times…”

“What about them? Why have we never been able to find you?”

“Because,” she said, “Dad didn’t want me found.”

“But Dad was always here.”

“Was he? How would you know, Roy?”

She had a point. “But Riley, you’re a grown woman. You could—”

“Stop right there. Please. I’ve said it to myself more often than you could ever say it to me. I don’t know why I let it continue. I’ll never know why.”

My sweet little sister needed help. So much help. Help like I was getting now. “Riley, come home. I want to help you. I’ve been seeing a doctor.”

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Fine. Except in the head.”

“No. Please. Tell me he didn’t—”

“No. Dad didn’t touch me. Other than beating the shit out of me. But Reid got it a lot worse, as you know.”

“I often wonder…”

“What?”

“Whether it would have been better to have been pounded the way Reid was. Then maybe I wouldn’t feel so…used.”

I opened my mouth, but no words emerged. What could I say to her? Being violated in the most private way by your own father had to be worse than getting your ass kicked. I wanted to puke just thinking about it.

“What do you need, Sis?” I asked. “What can I do for you?”

“I just needed to tell someone that I’m innocent. I didn’t do it.”

“We know that.”

“But I never said it.”

“You think that ever mattered to us? We never thought you’d harm a hair on his head because—”

I stopped.

We all thought that because she was his favorite. Because he’d doted on her.

Boy, we’d been mistaken about that.

We hadn’t known she had a huge motive to kill our father.

“Please, Roy. You’ve got to believe me.”

The torment in her voice was palpable. I could feel it through the phone connection.

“I believe you,” I said.

“Thanks, Roy. Tell the others, okay?”

“I will. But Ri, you need to come home.”

“I can’t. I just can’t. Not yet.”

“What about Paris? Your contract?”

“I’m a fucking mess. I can’t walk a runway right now.”

“You’re the best, Riley. You can do it.”

“I’m not the best. You should have been the model, Roy. You have more poise than I’ve ever had.”

Huh? Since when had I had even a modicum of poise? Since the fifth of never. “You’re wrong about that.”

“You’re quiet and reserved. You walk into a room and people can’t help but be drawn to you. They can’t help but want to know what makes you tick.”

“Doesn’t mean I’d make a good model.”

“Trust me. My agent wants you.”