Chapter 13: What Norma Was Too Scared To Say
We raced back to our house. The front door was hanging off its hinges. Glass shattered all over the porch. Inside, Norma was tied to a chair in the living room, her lip split, eyes red from crying.
Two men in black masks were going through every drawer and cabinet. One held a knife pressed lightly to her throat.
"Leave her alone!" I yelled.
They spun around. The taller one laughed. "Give us the box, and no one gets hurt. Drag your feet, and she’s the first to go."
Chris stepped forward, already signaling to the backup officers waiting outside. "You’re surrounded. Drop the weapon and put your hands up."
The man pressed the knife harder against Norma’s skin. "One step closer, and she bleeds out right here."
Norma looked at me, tears spilling down her face. "I knew," she said quiet. "I knew Roger was hurting her. I saw the bruises, I heard her crying. I said nothing. I was so scared of what he’d do to me."
"Shut up!" the masked man snapped.
Then Sarah stepped out from behind me. She didn’t yell. She didn’t run. She just looked straight at them, chin up.
"You won’t get the box," she said clear as day. "Because I already gave it to the FBI. And they’re waiting for you."
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