Page 85 of Moose
I laughed, and she looked shocked.
“Listen. I’m not your enemy here. But I can’t keep calling you the new girl.”
She moved the mug around before looking at Sav and I.
“Parker. But that’s all I’m telling you. I really need to go.”
Sav pushed a plate of cookies in front of her.
“You can finish your coffee first, ya know.”
Parker gripped the mug and quickly grabbed a cookie and ate it like it was the last piece of food on the earth.
I watched her eat before I spoke. “Parker, how old are you?”
She shook her head. “Legal.”
Sav sighed. “I’ve been where you’ve been before and-”
Parker glared at Savannah. “No. No, you haven’t. You have no idea what I’ve been through. I need to leave now.”
Parker got up and quickly rushed out the door. Sav went to pick up the cup, and I grabbed her arm.
“Don’t. It’s got her prints on it. I’ll have Moose run it and see if we get any hits.”
Savannah sat back down and sighed. “Something is off about her. And it makes me really worried, Lily.”
“Me too. But we’re going to help her. I’m determined.”
Sav grabbed a cookie and looked at me. “I don’t think it’s a man…”
I shook my head. “Maybe an abusive family…. I’ll have Moose check some things out and see what we can find.”
Some of the women came into the kitchen, going about their day now that Parker was gone.
One woman cautiously walked up to me. “Miss Banks?”
“Just Lily, babe. What can I help you with?”
She smiled. “I think I know where the new girl is from.”
Sav sat up and all the other women went silent.
“Well... My mama was always talking about some rumors back in the day about this religious group on the outskirts of town. It was just rumors because nobody could get close and find out.”
Sav nodded. “I remember those rumors too. But I always thought they were just crazy conspiracy theories. They fenced the whole compound in with concrete walls. I figured somebody just wanted privacy.”
The other woman nodded. “I thought that too. But my mama was dead set that there was evil there. I’m thinking that crazy old bat was onto something…”
I just sat there and shook my head. “That’s crazy... but it actually makes so much sense.”
Sav nodded, and we all just sat there in silence for a bit. I was trying to figure this all out in my head.
The woman got up, and I reached out for her hand. “Thank you. I’ll look into this. It was really helpful.”
She smiled and walked back upstairs. Turning to Sav, I sighed.
“If she’s part of a cult, this is going to be much more difficult. You up for this?”
