“Clara wanted to destroy everything I’d worked for,” he continued. “But she underestimated me.”
I leaned forward slightly.
“Where is she now?”
He chuckled.
“That’s the interesting part.”
Then he lowered his voice.
“Everyone thinks Clara left the country. They think she started a new life somewhere overseas.”
He paused.
“But she never left Kentucky.”
My heart began pounding.
“What are you saying?”
Silas smiled.
“Let’s just say the old family farm has been keeping a secret for five years.”
I stared at him.
“Silas, what happened to Clara?”
His expression changed.
“She discovered something she wasn’t supposed to. After our argument, she never came home.”
I felt a sudden chill.
“And you made people believe she ran away?”
He shrugged.
“People believe what they’re given a reason to believe.”
Then Beatrice interrupted.
“Nobody can prove anything anyway.”
Silas turned sharply toward her.
“Mother.”
But she continued.
