Chapter 6 - What Sienna Knew
Sienna lay in a hospital bed with stitches above her eyebrow and bruises around her throat. When Natalie entered, Sienna looked away.
“You came,” she said.
“You asked for me.”
“I wasn’t sure you would.”
“You should have been.”
Sienna swallowed.
“I’m sorry.”
Natalie remained near the door.
“You threw food on my daughter.”
“I know.”
“You coached her.”
“I know.”
“You worked with Graham.”
Sienna closed her eyes.
“I know.”
The apology was so empty that Natalie almost turned around.
Then Sienna said, “He promised he would clear my grandmother’s name.”
Natalie stopped.
“He said he had the evidence,” Sienna continued.
“The payment records. The original fire report. He said he would give it to me if I helped him prove you were unstable.”
“Why would he need to prove that?”
“He wanted custody. He wanted you out of the house.”
“Why?”
Sienna looked at her.
“Because the house is worth more than you know.”
That was not the answer Natalie expected. Sienna explained that Leonard Pierce had placed the estate and several surrounding properties into a private trust. After his death, Graham inherited control, but only if he maintained the property and kept certain debts hidden. Graham had borrowed heavily against the estate after a series of failed investments.
The house was now scheduled for a quiet sale.
“He forged my signature,” Natalie said.
“He used your income to secure the loan.”
“And Piper?”
“He wanted her as proof that he was the stable parent. He thought a judge would let him remain in the house if he had custody.”
Natalie sat in the chair beside the bed.
“What was the blue tin?”
“My grandmother kept copies of letters. Your mother gave them to her after the fire.”
“Why did she give them to me?”
“She didn’t. Your mother hid the tin in your room when you were seventeen. Graham found it years later and moved it.”
“To Piper’s art box?”
“He wanted you to find it.”
Natalie looked up.
“Why?”
Sienna’s expression was bleak.
“He wanted to see what you remembered.”
A detective entered with a recorder and a folder. His name was Jonah Reed. He had a quiet manner and a scar across his chin.
“Ms. Hart,” he said, “you told officers Graham Pierce attacked you.”
“He grabbed me.”
“Did he strike you?”
“Not exactly.”
“What happened?”
Sienna’s hands twisted in the blanket.
“I took the original recordings. I told him I was going to give them to Natalie. He followed me to the motel. He demanded the tin. When I refused, he pushed me against the sink.”
“Then?”
“I ran.”
“Why was there blood?”
“I hit the sink.”
Detective Reed turned to Natalie.
“We recovered a second storage card from the motel. It contains audio files.”
He handed over headphones. The first recording was recent.
Graham’s voice said, “You will tell her she left Piper unattended.”
Sienna answered, “She didn’t.”
“It doesn’t have to be true.”
“What if she goes to the police?”
“Then you say she attacked you.”
The second recording was older. Static crackled. A man spoke with a rough, authoritative voice. Leonard Pierce.
“The girl saw me at the door.”
A woman sobbed. Claire.
“She’ll never understand what she saw.”
“Then teach her not to remember.”
“She is my daughter.”
“And Della is expendable.”
The recording ended. Natalie removed the headphones. Sienna was crying silently.
“There’s one more,” Detective Reed said.
The final clip contained the sound of fire alarms and a child screaming.
Then Natalie’s teenage voice said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Graham’s twelve-year-old voice answered, “Don’t look back.”
Natalie could not breathe. Sienna reached for her hand but stopped before touching it.
“What did I do?”
Natalie whispered. Detective Reed looked at her carefully.
“We don’t know yet.”
A nurse entered with a message. She handed Detective Reed a phone. He read the screen and went pale.
“What is it?”
May you like
Natalie asked. He looked at her.
“Graham picked Piper up from school forty minutes ago.”
