Page 44 of Gone Too Far

“What do you mean?” Jen asked.

Steadying herself, Kerri went over her visit with Renae and then the confrontation in the street with Sykes and Peterson.

“That bitch,” Jen growled. “How dare she make out like her daughter is more innocent than Tori.”

Diana gave a dry laugh. “Hear, hear.” Her expression turned somber. “Are you worried? I mean, really worried?”

“Of course I’m worried,” Kerri admitted. “Not about what I know so far, obviously. But about what I don’t know, and I don’t know a lot. Which is why I’mreallyworried.”

Jesus Christ, how could this be happening?

“Why are you worried?”

Kerri turned to find her daughter standing in the wide doorway between the living room and the kitchen.Oh hell.

“Hey, sweetie,” Diana said, “would you like a Coke or something?”

Tori shook her head, the fear on her face breaking Kerri’s heart. “No. I want to hear why my mom is worried.”

Kerri stood and walked toward her daughter. “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but I just learned that Brendal didn’t make it.”

One, two blinks. “So, she’s dead.”

Kerri nodded. “I’m sorry, yes.”

Tori started to tremble, and Kerri grabbed her just before her knees gave out. Her daughter clung to her and cried so hard her slim body shuddered. Kerri hugged her close and stroked her hair, all the while whispering soothing assurances. Diana and Jen wrapped their arms around the both of them, and they all cried together for a bit.

“Who died?” one of the twins demanded.

Diana pulled away. “Ryan, where’s your brother?”

“Tell me,” the older-by-two-minutes twin repeated. “What happened? The last time you were all crying like this, it was Amelia.”

River came up next to his brother. “What’s going on?”

Tori pulled free of her mother and turned to her cousins. “She died. Brendal died. And everyone thinks I had something to do with it.”

“No,” Kerri argued. “No one thinks you had anything to do with what happened.”

Tori swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Yes they do. Even Sarah’s not talking to me right now. They think it was me. And now Brendal is dead.”

Kerri tried to pull Tori into her arms once more, but she drew away. “No one—NO ONE,” Kerri emphasized, “believes you had anything to do with Brendal falling.”

“I wish I was the one who had died.”

Tori rushed out of the house. Kerri started to go after her, but Diana held her back. They watched as Tori loaded into the Wagoneer.

“She’s upset. Not thinking. She didn’t mean what she said.” Kerri looked from Diana to Jen and back.

“Kerri,” Diana said, her expression dead serious, “don’t even go there. You take those words as if youknowshe meant them. Do you hear me? Take no chances.”

Her sister was right.

Tori was in a very dangerous place.

Kerri had no idea how to help her. But she would move heaven and earth trying.

Devlin Residence

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