Page 71 of Shiver

“He lived in a mental institution in Idaho. They released him the year he turned twenty-three.”

Riley’s blood went cold. “How old was Devra when he was released.”

Riley could hear Tony doing a quick calculation. “Thirteen.”

“We’ve got your man,” he said to the chief. “Released from an Idaho mental institution the year your son died.”

“Riley, he killed his parents. And get this, there was a toddler in the house, but he didn’t touch her. It was Devra, Riley. She’s his sister.”

* * *

“Who was that on the phone?”Devra asked.

“Mandy down at headquarters. She wants you to stay here. The chief is on his way.”

“On his way to arrest me,” Devra muttered. “For murders I didn’t commit. He killed Tommy.” She poked the picture of her brother. “He has the same evil eyes as the man I saw in the woods that day. I told you it wasn’t me, but you didn’t believe me. No one believed me. You were all so quick to throw me into an institution, to tell me I was sick.”

“Devra,” her papa said. “We only wanted to protect you from whatever evil possessed this young man. He was a good boy, but he turned bad. He killed his parents, my brother, right after he turned thirteen. After what had happened to Tommy, we were afraid the same sickness had taken root in you. We were afraid the authorities would start poking around and everyone in town would know about the evil in your blood.”

Devra looked at her papa and felt nothing but cold fury. How could he have been so misguided?

“Where is my brother now?” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow pass in front of the window. She turned, but it was gone.

“Where he’s always been. At Willoughby’s Mental Institution in Idaho.”

Devra frowned. “Are you sure he’s still there? When was the last time you checked?”

“The local police checked out your story that a man had killed Tommy, but you barely had a description,” her mama said. “You had Tommy’s blood all over you, and the rock used to kill him was in your hand.”

Devra blew her hair back from her face, grabbed the newspaper clipping, the pictures, and slipped them back into the envelope.

“Adopting you was the best thing that ever happened to your papa and me, even after everything that happened with Tommy. We love you now as much as we did the day we brought you home to us.”

“You abandoned me.” She stood. “You dumped me off in that torture chamber and left without a second glance. You never even came for a visit.”

“We did come,” her mama said softly. “We came every Saturday and watched you from outside the gate. We couldn’t bear to go through the week without seeing for ourselves that you were okay.”

Surprised, Devra stared into her mama’s red, swollen eyes. “But I don’t understand. I never saw you.”

“It was the doctors,” her papa said. “They were afraid our presence would disturb you. They said you hadn’t accepted your illness, and were trying to hide it from them. They said until you accepted you were sick, you wouldn’t get better.”

“You always looked so peaceful sitting under the trees, writing in your journal.”

Emotion swelled in Devra’s chest and rose in her throat, making it hard to speak. “I hated it inside the sanitarium—the smells, the noise. I stayed outside as often as I could.”

“We just wanted to help you. We were so afraid.” Her mother dropped her face into her hands and cried.

“One Saturday, we drove up there and you were gone.” Her papa’s eyes reddened and watered. He turned away.

Stunned, Devra sat back down. She’d never seen her papa cry. Not even the day he’d left her at the sanitarium. Tears spilled onto her cheeks. She’d been wrong about them. All these years, she’d been so wrong. They did love her, they had cared.

“We didn’t think we’d ever see you again,” her mama said sniffling. “But here you are, a woman with a life of your own.”

“It’s been a hard life, Mama. A life of always looking over my shoulder, always on the run.”

“How can we help you, Devra?” her papa asked.

“I have to disappear again. Go where no one can find me. Especially him.” She pointed to his picture once more. “What’s his name?”

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