Page 171 of Beneath the Mountain Sky

Willow sags slightly, then rests her palms flat on the counter to keep herself upright. “Tell us what happened.”

In all the memories that came back to her, Willow never mentioned Amy. Never saw her up at that dilapidated cabin. All she remembers is being asked to write the notes…by Earl.

Tears stream freely down Amy’s face now, and she starts rocking again, to soothe herself or the baby. Maybe both. She glances down at Niall, refusing to look at us. “He-he comes and goes on his ATV, stops by when he needs supplies and comes to town. He makes sure I get what I need out here.” Her green eyes shift up to meet mine, then move to Willow. “And one day, he just…showed up with your truck. I recognized it. Knew it was yours. But he said Roberta was back.”

Willow’s hands fist on the counter. “Did you see me?”

Amy quickly shakes her head. “No. No. Never. He took you up the mountain and never brought you to the house. But I knew…”

I take a step toward her, unable to hold back. “What did you know, Amy? Why did you help him?”

Another sob wrenches from deep in her chest, waking Niall and making him squirm.

Willow shifts toward the edge of the counter, like she’s about to make a grab for him, but Amy inches closer to the door that leads out of the kitchen and to the endless wilderness.

I grab Willow’s arm, stopping her advance.

She trembles just as badly as I do right now. I can feel Willow’s frustration bubbling over in every quiver of her body against my hand, but she somehow manages to maintain her composure.

Not panicking.

Amy swallows a few times, shaking her head. “I knew something wasn’t right. That Earl hasn’t been completely himself for a long time, living up there alone. But I didn’t know he had you until he came back down a few weeks later. He kept rambling about Bobby and the baby coming.” Her gaze drops to the fussy Niall, and she adjusts her hold on him. “It clicked in my head how much you looked like Bobby did back then and that he hadn’t bought that truck from you…”

This time, I don’t bite back my growl. “But you didn’t go to the sheriff!”

She issues another sob. “No.” Several strands of reddish-gray hair slip from her bun as she vigorously shakes her head. “I couldn’t. Earl is all I have left. My only family. My only connection to the outside world. He takes care of me. He?—”

Willow slams her fist on the counter, the sound making Amy jump. “He kidnapped me. He abused me. He kept me captive in that cabin for a year. He stole my baby!”

I snarl, tightening my grip on the gun. “And you helped him.”

Amy sobs, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I did. I’m so sorry. I-I…” She looks at Niall. “I just wanted my nephew back.”

Liam.

This woman knows damn well Niall isn’t the baby Roberta fled with twenty years ago, but she deluded herself into believing the lie. To give herself what she wanted.

Our son.

“Amy…” I try to keep my voice level despite my rising anger. “Tell us about the notes. How did you get Willow to write them and get them to Raven?”

Anything we can learn from her now will be useful later, when the prosecutor reviews the case and issues charges against her and her brother.

She sniffles, looking at Willow. “I remembered you two were best friends. The last time I was in town before this happened with Earl, I had seen you having coffee and croissants together at Claire’s. I knew she would worry if you just…disappeared. When Earl came back down the next time, I gave him some postcards I had from some of my own travels, along with a note I said was for Bobby.”

Willow shivers. “I remember it.” Her gray eyes cut over to me. “She told me she would ensure I had everything I needed for the baby if I cooperated and wrote notes to Raven. She told me to include facts only I would know and that if I tried anything, like slipping in any information to indicate things weren’t as they appeared, that she could cut off our supplies.”

Which would risk both Willow’s and the baby’s life.

This woman may appear sweet and unassuming, but this was premeditated.

Diabolical on a level that rivals what her brother did.

Only she knew what she was doing.

She knew he was delusional and holding Willow against her will, yet she let this all continue.

Facilitated it.