I Heard My Sister\u2019s Voice on the Deputy\u2019s Phone After I Came Home<\/p>\n
I got the wrong idea about my sister\u2019s quiet house the minute I came back from six months on the road. I thought Faye was keeping to herself because she was tired of being pregnant and tired of taking care of everybody. I didn\u2019t know she was behind a welded cage door in the basement while Marcus told people she was visiting family.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d driven into our old textile town in South Carolina on a Thursday, though I may have the day wrong. My truck still smelled like coffee I\u2019d spilled near the state line. I had two bags in the cab and a paper sack of peaches from a stand outside Laurens. The plan was to drop the peaches at Faye\u2019s and stay for supper.<\/p>\n
There was nobody at the house when I got there. Marcus answered after I knocked twice. He had on a clean shirt, and I remember thinking he looked like he\u2019d just gotten home from church. He said Faye had gone to stay with her aunt for a while.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s worn out,\u201d he said. \u201cShe needs a break from all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said that made sense. I even told him it was good of him to let her rest. That part bothers me now. I was glad to be home and tired enough to accept the first answer that let me get back to my own place.<\/p>\n
The peaches were still on his kitchen counter when I left.<\/p>\n
I got a second clue at my mother\u2019s house. Faye usually sent a picture of her belly every Sunday, no matter how busy she was. My mother had a whole folder of them on her phone. That Sunday, there wasn\u2019t one.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe she\u2019s taking a break from her phone,\u201d Mom said.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t push. I knew Faye and Mom could get into it over small things. I thought I was being sensible by not making a family issue out of nothing. Lord, I can make a virtue out of not wanting to get involved.<\/p>\n
Marcus called that evening and invited me to supper the next night. He said he wanted to welcome me home. That sounded kind. It also gave me a reason to ask when Faye would be back.<\/p>\n
\u201cSoon,\u201d he said. \u201cShe needs a little time.\u201d<\/p>\n
I went.<\/p>\n
His mother, Marlene, was there too. She wore a plain gold chain with a small key on it. I noticed because she kept touching it when she talked, like a person checking that a button is still fastened. I asked if it was for her house.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust an old key,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t ask another question. We passed the potatoes. Marcus talked about work. Marlene said she was glad I\u2019d made it home safe. For a while it was an ordinary meal, and I let myself believe the ordinary parts.<\/p>\n
There was one empty chair at the end of the table.<\/p>\n
Marcus explained it without being asked. \u201cFaye\u2019s visiting family. She\u2019ll be back when she\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
That should\u2019ve sounded strange. Instead, I nodded. I was still treating the story like a family disagreement, because that was easier than looking at what was right in front of me.<\/p>\n
The next clue came from the neighbor, Mrs. Givens. I saw her when I stopped by the house the following morning to leave Faye\u2019s mail. She was watering the plants by her front steps, even though the dirt around them was soaked from her hose.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou seen Faye?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet,\u201d I said. \u201cShe\u2019s visiting family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Givens looked down at the hose. \u201cThat\u2019s what Marcus told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t say anything else. I took the mail back to my truck. I sat there with my hands on the steering wheel for a minute, then drove off.<\/p>\n
I can make a lot of excuses for that. I was tired. I didn\u2019t want to accuse Marcus without proof. I didn\u2019t want to have to find out that my sister was in trouble while I was gone. Mostly, I didn\u2019t want to be the brother who came home after months away and immediately started telling everybody they were lying.<\/p>\n
I called Faye that afternoon. The call went straight to voicemail. I left a message asking if she needed anything and said I had peaches for her, which was ridiculous because I\u2019d left them in Marcus\u2019s kitchen. I caught that after I\u2019d already said it.<\/p>\n
No call back.<\/p>\n
I tried her again before bed. Same thing. The next morning, I texted Marcus and asked if she was okay.\u201cShe\u2019s fine,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
I asked if she could call me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019ll call when she\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
I read that a few times. I still didn\u2019t call the police. I told myself there wasn\u2019t enough to go on. I tell that part honestly because I don\u2019t want to make myself sound braver than I was.<\/p>\n
The third clue was a grocery receipt in the kitchen trash. I\u2019d gone back to Marcus\u2019s house to pick up a bag I\u2019d left there. He was outside, talking on the phone. The kitchen door was unlocked, so I went in.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know why I looked in the trash. Maybe I was checking for the peaches. The receipt was from a store five miles away and listed one gallon of water, a bag of apples, and dog food. The apples were cheap ones. The dog food was the kind in a small bag.<\/p>\n
I folded the receipt and put it back.<\/p>\n
That was another bad choice. I could\u2019ve asked Marcus what it meant. I could\u2019ve taken a picture. I could\u2019ve done something besides tuck the clue away in my head and hope it explained itself later.<\/p>\n
Then I saw Marlene at the end of the hall. The gold key was still on her chain.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking for something?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cJust my bag.\u201d<\/p>\n
She went into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. I heard the dishes move. She didn\u2019t ask about Faye. I didn\u2019t ask about the key.<\/p>\n
I went home and tried to sleep. I couldn\u2019t, so I got up and checked my phone. Faye had sent me a location pin at 11:31 the night before. There were only three words with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease come home.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was an audio file, too. It was seven seconds long. I tried to play it, but the sound cut out after a little crackle. I tried twice more. The third time, I heard a breath and something that could have been my name.<\/p>\n
Then the file disappeared.<\/p>\n
I sat on the edge of my bed with my phone in my hand. I checked my messages, the archive, the trash folder, everything I knew how to check. I couldn\u2019t find it again. The location pin still worked, though. It brought up Marcus\u2019s address.<\/p>\n
I called Faye again. No answer.<\/p>\n
I called Marcus. He didn\u2019t pick up, so I left a message saying I needed to talk to him in person. He called back ten minutes later.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this about?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see Faye.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me where she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was quiet long enough that I thought he\u2019d hung up. Then he said, \u201cYou\u2019re making this harder than it needs to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked what he meant.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay out of our marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
I told him I wasn\u2019t asking about their marriage. I was asking where my sister was. He ended the call.<\/p>\n
I knew then that something was wrong. I still didn\u2019t know how wrong. That\u2019s an important difference. I knew enough to stop accepting his explanations, but not enough to know where Faye was or how to get to her safely.<\/p>\n
I drove to the sheriff\u2019s office after lunch. I gave a deputy the address, the messages, and the location pin. He took notes while I talked. I started with the part that made me sound foolish, which was that I\u2019d already had supper at the house and didn\u2019t ask where Faye was.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t make a face. He just wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny history of him hurting her?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot that I know of.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny weapons?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot that I know of.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about the short audio file, but it was gone. I told him what I remembered hearing. He asked me to forward the pin and any screenshots I had. I did. It wasn\u2019t much.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me a little time to check it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I nodded. I wasn\u2019t happy about waiting, but I knew walking into that house alone was not a plan. I\u2019ve spent years driving for work. You learn not to take an exit just because you\u2019re mad at the road you\u2019re on.<\/p>\n
I sat in my truck outside the sheriff\u2019s office until my phone rang. It was Marlene.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to stop stirring things up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
I asked her where Faye was.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s being cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople who know what she needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said her name. I said it twice. Marlene didn\u2019t answer the question.I went back to the deputy with that call. He asked if I\u2019d mind coming in again later to listen to something. I said I\u2019d be there. On the way home, Marcus texted me about supper. He said some people from church were coming over and he wanted me there. I almost refused. Then I remembered the empty chair, the key, the grocery receipt, and Faye\u2019s pin.<\/p>\n
I said I\u2019d come.<\/p>\n
I told the deputy where I\u2019d be. He didn\u2019t promise me anything. He said to keep my phone on and not make a scene. I said I understood. I also told him I wouldn\u2019t go into the basement or start asking questions in front of Marcus.<\/p>\n
That was the plan.<\/p>\n
At supper, Marcus was in a good mood. He\u2019d put out roast meat, potatoes, and a bowl of green beans. I remember the beans were still warm in the middle, like they\u2019d been sitting in the serving dish too long. Marlene sat across from me. Her key chain was tucked under her collar now.<\/p>\n
There were four guests I didn\u2019t know well. One of them was a man named Joel from the church. He asked if my route had taken me through Tennessee. We talked about trucks and gas prices. Nobody asked about Faye.<\/p>\n
Marcus raised his glass at one point and said, \u201cWe\u2019re glad to have you back home.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said, \u201cI\u2019m glad to be home.\u201dThat was true. It was also the last normal sentence I said that night.<\/p>\n
After dinner, I went to the kitchen for water. Marcus came in behind me and shut the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been talking to the sheriff,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I kept the cup under the tap. \u201cI asked them to check on Faye.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s visiting family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me where.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped close enough that I could smell the wine on his breath. \u201cYou don\u2019t get to come back after six months and start acting like you know what\u2019s happening here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know she sent me a location pin.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw moved once. \u201cWhat pin?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. The message was gone by the time I opened it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me for a long second. Then he smiled, small and tired, like I was making work for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re going to leave this alone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I put the cup down. My hand was shaking, so I pressed my fingers to the counter until it stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
That was when the deputy came through the kitchen door. Two more officers followed him. He held one hand out toward Marcus and told him not to move.Marcus turned toward the back of the house. The deputy grabbed his arm. A chair scraped hard against the floor. Marlene stood up so fast her key chain pulled free from under her collar and landed against the table.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t reach for her. I didn\u2019t touch Marcus. I stood where I was and said, \u201cFaye\u2019s in the basement.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deputy looked at me. I hadn\u2019t known that for sure until I said it.<\/p>\n
Marlene clutched the key in her fist. She started saying that she had only been trying to help. The deputy told her to set it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe needs medical care,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Marcus pulled once against the deputy\u2019s grip. The other officer caught his shoulder and turned him toward the wall. Nobody yelled. That made it feel worse, somehow. The officers moved with the same steady voices they\u2019d used at the office.<\/p>\n
The deputy asked Marlene for the key. She looked at it, then at Marcus.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not coming back upstairs,\u201d Marcus said.I didn\u2019t know what he meant by that. I didn\u2019t ask.<\/p>\n
The basement door was locked. The deputy tried the key Marlene had been wearing. It didn\u2019t fit. She said there was another one. Then she changed her mind and said she couldn\u2019t remember where it was.<\/p>\n
The officers went down the stairs. I followed them, though the deputy told me to stay back. I stopped at the bottom.<\/p>\n
There was a metal cage in the corner. The door had been welded shut. I saw the fresh line of metal across the latch. I saw one red apple on the floor. I saw the blood before I saw Faye.<\/p>\n
I started toward her. The deputy put an arm across my chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet the medic in first,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I stopped. That\u2019s all I did. I stopped and watched the medic kneel beside the cage. Faye had one hand under her stomach. Her hair was stuck to her cheek. She looked at me, but didn\u2019t say anything at first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I Heard My Sister\u2019s Voice on the Deputy\u2019s Phone After I Came Home I got the wrong idea about my sister\u2019s quiet house the minute I came back from six months on the road. I thought Faye was keeping to herself because she was tired of being pregnant and tired of taking care of everybody. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6018"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6019,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6018\/revisions\/6019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}