Page 16 of Little Last Words

“Sadie?” I asked. “Have you?”

“They came to my house,” she said. “The house I lived in with Daddy and Mommy.”

“Why did they come to the house?”

“The lady across the street tattled on Daddy when she heard him yelling at Mommy.”

“Why was he yelling at her?”

“I don’t know. Mommy told me to go to my room and put the TV on. I think it was so I wouldn’t hear what they were saying.”

Foley and I exchanged worried glances.

“Did your daddy yell at your mommy a lot?” I asked.

“Sometimes.”

“Is that why you don’t live with him anymore?”

Sadie shrugged. “Mommy said we had to go to Grandma’s house, and when we got to Grandma’s house, she told me we were going to live here now. She said I can’t see Daddy for a while, and I can’t talk to him on the phone. But … he calls Mommy’s phone sometimes.”

“Do you ever answer the phone when your dad calls?”

“Well … one time. Mommy was outside talking to her friend, and it was ringing and ringing, and she couldn’t hear it, so I said hello, and it was Daddy.”

Now there were two avenues to explore—her mother talking to a friend outside, and what was said during the call between Sadie and her father.

“What friend was your mother talking to outside?” I asked. “Was it someone you know?”

She nodded. “He’s nice. He lives in the house with the big windows.”

“The one across the street from yours?”

“Uh-huh.”

She was referring to Party House.

When I’d questioned Becker minutes before, he said he’d seen Penelope around, and he acted like he didn’t know her. Perhaps he knew her a lot more than he’d let on.

“Did your mom talk to the neighbor with the big windows a lot?” I asked.

“We go to his house sometimes. I watch cartoons on the big TV.”

Interesting.

Looked like I’d need to circle back to Becker after all.

For now, I shifted the conversation back to Sadie’s father.

“When your mommy was outside with the neighbor and your daddy called, did you talk to him?” I asked.

She was back to fiddling with her dress again.

“It’s all right, sweetie,” I said. “I understand if you wanted to talk to him. He’s your dad.”

“I told him Mommy said I couldn’t talk to him, and then Daddy asked where we were, and I told him we live by grandma now. He asked to talk to Mommy, and I thought I’d get in trouble, so I hung up.”

“Do you remember when your daddy called?” I asked.