5. Reaper

5

Reaper

I decided not to say anything about what I had read so far, but I could tell the woman was deranged. Based on what little I've read, she must have scared Sarra many times. She was always telling her that people were evil and that she had to stay away from everyone to be safe.

I wondered if Sarra even knew Mam was crazy or if she thought it was normal to chase away everyone who came to visit. I'm surprised Sarra was allowed to have a career. Did Mam know Sarra was a writer? Did Sarra tell Mam she wrote books? Or did she sneak into town to open a secret bank account? Did she have a secret email that she didn't tell Mam about? Was she scared of Mam?

Was Sarra dreaming about what happened to her as a toddler who cried for her mommy and daddy? Is Shane right? Was it Mam who killed her parents? Fuck. Then who were the two men there that were also dead?

This was getting more and more confusing. I looked at Matthew, and he was watching me. I wondered if he thought I was thinking the same as he was: that crazy Mam was a killer.

We all said goodnight, and I watched as the brothers took sleeping bags from the closet and laid them on the floor. Then Matthew picked up his sleeping bag and put it on the sofa. I returned to my room, and Sarra walked back to hers with Bub following her.

I read some more, but it mostly gave me a headache. It was like a crazy woman was writing, and it made no sense. There was a tap on the door, and Matthew walked in. He put his finger to his lips.

"The reason we are here is because all kinds of fucking trouble is happening, and Sarra is in the middle of it. We need you to take her away from here. It isn't just the killer who wants her dead," he whispered.

"Mam had some family, and they are crazier than she is," he said, running his hand through his hair. "Sarra has come into a lot of money. Her father was very wealthy; Sara inherited all of his wealth. Mam's family doesn't even know Sarra is Jackson Martin. I'm sure she makes millions from her books," he whispered. They would kill her in a heartbeat if they knew."

"These people live way out in the Bayou. There are three of them. I can't prove anything, but I believe those dead men at the house were some of her family members. No one took fingerprints or photos. No one claimed the bodies, so they were cremated. I have no proof or any way to get it. It's just a hunch."

"I'll watch her. We'll leave here tomorrow. What's their name?"

"Ralph, Claude, and Jasper Simmons. They've been investigated by the FBI for the last ten years for drug and human trafficking. I'm concerned that they will take Sarra. I see you have those letters. Read them fast so we can figure out what the hell is going on."

He left the room, and I opened the tablet I was reading. Then I called Rebel and explained what was happening in the swamp.

"I'm going to have Steel meet you when you find where you are taking Sarra. Call me."

"You don't need to send Steel. I'll take care of Sarra. I was hoping you could call in some favors and get as much info as possible about the Simmons. We now have two different people wanting to harm Sarra," I explained.

"Where are you going to take her?"

"We'll go to Texas and stay there until you can figure out the connection between the Simmons and Sarra. We have to wait until the brothers find the killer who wants Sarra dead," I explained.

After we hung up, I kept reading. I knew what the Simmons and Sarra had in common: Sarra's mother was Mam's sister. Her name wasn't Mam, I would bet anything on that. I thought for sure I would get down to what I was looking for, but all I got was more rambling.

On one page, I learned that Mam hated her sister Jeannie. She is jealous of her sister because of Sarra and convinces Jeannie to let her stay with them for a week.

Jeannie was surprised that her sister knew where she lived because they hadn't seen each other since childhood. The parents divorced, and Mam and three brothers stayed with their mom, and Jeannie and two brothers went with their father.

After I read about the family, Mam declared Sarra was her child and that her sister had stolen her from her while she was in the hospital. She sounded like she had no sense at all. She even convinced herself that Sarra was hers.

She went on and on about how much she hated Jeannie and Gary because they stole Sarra from her. I was glad Sarra hadn't read any of these pages. I finished that notebook and got another one. I looked at the time, and it was three in the morning. I needed to get some sleep. We would be leaving in the early.

When Bub barked, I woke up and jumped from the bed. I ran through the house and woke everyone up. I could smell smoke. I stuffed the tablets in my bag because I knew what we were looking for was in these pages. Sarra grabbed clothes and her computer.

Cooper, Matthew, and I took out our guns. This could be a trap. I went out the back door, Cooper went out the front, and Matthew guarded Sarra. I saw the fire in the distance. I didn't know if someone had started the fire or what was happening.

I shouted that we must leave; a fire was coming, and we all met on the porch. I looked over at Sarra and saw tears falling down her face. Matthew put his arm around her.

"You'll find a new house," Matthew said.

"We have to leave," I said again. Sarra ran back inside and grabbed her bow and arrows. She threw a large bag over her shoulder, and Matthew took it. "You run between us," I said. As we took off, I kept my gun out in case we saw someone.

Others were running from the swamp. We saw gators running for the water right in front of us, so we kept running. I saw a family with children running. I looked at the father.

"Do you have a vehicle? If not, you can jump in mine."

"Thanks, we'll take you up on that. I hope the others can get out. Most of them have boats."

We kept running until we reached our vehicles. Others waited there to get a ride, so we stuffed everyone in between Shane's vehicle and mine. We passed the fire trucks on the road. A giant bulldozer was in front of them, knocking the trees down so the trucks could pass.

I saw Matthew jump out and get on one of the fire trucks. If I didn't have the responsibility of keeping Sarra safe, I would help them. But my concern was Sarra. When we reached town, I stopped at the motel. Sarra ran inside and paid for every room for a month.

She wished everyone good luck. Cooper walked over to us.

"Stay in touch with us, and we'll keep you informed when we find the killer," Cooper said. I agreed, and we said our goodbyes.

"Come on, Bub," I said as I opened the back door. The dog jumped inside, and I shut the door.

"Where are we going?" Sarra asked.

"Texas. We have a safe house there. Has there ever been a fire like that in the swamp?"

"Not that I know of. Someone was probably careless with their outdoor fire. I hope my house doesn't burn down. Where will I live?"

"You can live anywhere you want to live," I explained.

"Yes, but will I ever find a place as safe as mine? Mam said I should stay at my house where I'm safe. She said that the people who killed my parents are still hunting for me."

"How would she know that?" I asked, frowning.

"I don't know. Sometimes, she knew things, and she wrote them in those papers I read. Did you get the papers?"

"Yes, I got them."

"I don't want to read them because they scare me. I know that's crazy, but they do," Sarra admitted.

"You don't have to even look at them. I'll read them, and if I think you should know what it says, I'll tell you."

"Thank you. I think I'll sleep for a while. Do you think we should stop and get a room so you can sleep, too?"

"I'll stop when we are out of Louisiana, and we'll stop, get some rest, and order some food. You rest now."

"I will. Reaper, I'm glad you are with me." I reached over, took her hand, and held it while she slept.

"Why do I feel as if I've known her forever?" I wondered.