Page 88 of The Starfish Sisters

Tears leaked out of my eyes. In a whisper, I asked, “Is she going to be okay?”

“That’s a hard question to answer. She’s in pretty bad shape both physically and emotionally, and she could probably use a good friend in her corner.”

“Can I come down there?”

“Her father isn’t letting anyone in to see her, and unfortunately he has a lot of people on his side.”

“How can he be in charge? Why didn’t they arrest him? That’s child abuse!”

“It absolutely is. But—” She struggled for control. I heard her clear her throat. “He isn’t going to be charged.”

Fiercely I said, “I hate him so much. It’s not fair.”

“It isn’t.” She paused again. “You should know he also shaved her head.”

“What?” I started to cry in earnest. “Why?”

“There’s no reason for a man like that to do what he does. But—” She paused and I thought it was odd, and my body thought it was evenweirder because my heart squeezed really hard and I couldn’t quite catch my breath. “Did you know she was pregnant?”

My brain ran the scenes backward over the summer. I could answer honestly, “No.”

“Okay, then you need to let her tell you.”

“I really need to come see her.”

“No, that’s not a good idea. But I’ll see if I can get you a phone call. Her dad is not letting any of us get in there.”

“How did you know he beat her up?”

“She ran away to my house to get away from him.” And I heard something in her voice that was very, very rare—a dark, wild emotion, filled with nuances I didn’t quite get. Fury. Despair. “I got her to the hospital.”

“Amma! She’s my best friend in the whole world. I have to see her.”

“I know, Phoebe. And I know there’s been a lot on your plate this year, but you have to trust me. There will be a time you can be more help to her than you can now. If you write some letters, I’ll get them to her one way or another.”

“And a phone call! Please!”

“I’ll see what I can do, sweetheart. Now, let your dad give you some TLC and remember that you are a very strong person. You’re going to get through this season of darkness.”

“But will Suze?”

She hesitated. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure she does.”

“Good,” I said, and hung up the phone. My dad was there, hugging me, and I wished that Suze had just one person in her life like him.

But I guessed she did. Amma. And maybe me, if I was strong enough. I leaned into my dad and wept, worrying about her, and then I had an idea. “Dad, can I make another phone call? I want to call Joel.”

“Is that her boyfriend?”

For a long moment, I thought about it. And that was the first time I knew that they loved each other. I squished the knowledge down into a tiny knot of bitter jealousy. Choosing denial, I said, “Just her friend, but I want to make sure he knows what’s going on.”

I dialed the number I had for him, but it came back with an electronic voice. “The number you have dialed has been disconnected.”

But I saw him one more time.

CURRENT DAY

Chapter Twenty