Page 18 of The Sister's Curse

Sims crossed the room to put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Leah. Stop.”

Leah hissed, “He told me God would cure her, that she didn’t need chemo.”

Sims lifted his Bible, and Leah flinched. “God tells us to trust him. Leah, this willfulness does not serve God.”

Leah’s fingers, laced together, were white. “Was it God’s will for Mason to drown?”

“We are unable to understand the fullness of God’s plan, Leah. You know that.”

Leah’s friend whispered something into her ear, and she lapsed into silence.Ah.So religion had gotten in her ear…That was what silenced her.

Monica exhaled. “We have some questions about last night. Maybe it would be better if I spoke to the adults and Lt. Koray speaks to Leah?”

Sims shook his head. “I think anything that needs to be said can be said here, out in the open.”

I didn’t like that. Not one bit.

“How did Leah get the babysitting job?” Monica forged forward. “You said you were acquainted with the Sumners…?”

“Leah babysits for the Sumners, and other families at our church.” Sims settled back into his chair.

“We all look after the children in the cry room at church,” Rebecca said.

Leah remained silent, and I turned my attention to Rebecca. “You girls know each other from church?”

She nodded. “We’re all in the same homeschool pod.”

I noted this, though I wasn’t sure what to think. Was there real education going on here? Or was homeschooling an effort to keep the girls away from the secular nature of the world?

“How many boys and girls are in your pod?” I asked.

Sarah shook her head. “No boys. They go to public school.”

“It’s important to shield the girls from the temptations of the world,” Sims said.

I was biting my tongue so hard at the ridiculous sexism of this that it nearly bled, but Monica was on to the next question.

“So, Leah’s an experienced babysitter, then?” Monica asked.

“Oh yes. She’s been babysitting since she was thirteen, for three families. They’ve always said great things about her,” Sims confirmed.

I leaned forward and extracted my sharp tongue from the roof of my mouth. “Leah, do you know how to swim?”

Leah looked down at the floor. Whatever Rebecca had whispered to her had shut her up entirely. I was conscious of the pastor’s weighty gaze upon her, too, and I was convinced we were going to get very little from this interview. I had seen Leah’s genuine grief at Mason’s near drowning last night, then the flash of anger at her father today. And now…silence.

Sims shook his head. “Women in our church are prohibited from swimming. It’s an immodest activity. The waters of the womb are enough for our women and girls. Leah doesn’t know how to swim.”

What did that even mean? I tried to wrap my brain around it. Maybe Leah hadn’t tried to drown Mason, but negligence wasn’t off the table. And there were still the bruises to explain.

I turned my attention to Leah, trying to make eye contact. “Leah? When Mason arrived at the hospital, he had some bruises and scratches. Did he have any injuries when you came to the house? Or did he hurt himself while you were there?”

She didn’t speak, just stared straight ahead. She shook her head.

“Leah loves children,” Sims said. “She would never ever hurt anyone.”

“I understand.” I leaned forward, closer to Leah. “Leah, were you aware of anyone else around the house last night? Cars that might have pulled off the road or into the driveway?”

Leah shook her head again.