The Sisters Read online

  Praise for the novels of Rosalind Noonan

  PRETTY, NASTY, LOVELY

  “Suspenseful . . . A world of blackmail, bullying, and lies.

  This quick read will keep readers guessing.”—Booklist

  TAKE ANOTHER LOOK

  “Noonan grips readers in this suspenseful novel . . .

  worth picking up.”—RT Book Reviews

  AND THEN SHE WAS GONE

  “A story of optimism and encouragement, despite the

  heart-wrenching subject matter.”—Chatelaine

  ALL SHE EVER WANTED

  “Noonan has a knack for page-turners and doesn’t

  disappoint . . . a readable tale.”—Publishers Weekly

  THE DAUGHTER SHE USED TO BE

  “An engrossing family saga and a suspenseful legal thriller.

  Noonan covers a lot of narrative ground, with a large cast

  of characters whose situations involve morally complex

  issues, as well as knotty family dynamics. This novel

  would fuel some great book-club discussions.”

  —Shelf Awareness

  Please turn the page for more praise for Rosalind Noonan!

  ONE SEPTEMBER MORNING

  “Written with great insight into military families and the

  constant struggle between supporting the troops but not

  the war, Noonan delivers a fast-paced, character-driven

  tale with a touch of mystery.”—Publishers Weekly

  “Noonan creates a unique thriller that is anti–Iraq war

  and pro-soldier, a novel that focuses on the toll war

  takes on returning soldiers and civilians whose loved

  ones won’t be coming home.”—Booklist

  “Reminiscent of Jodi Picoult’s kind of tale . . . it’s a keeper!”

  —Lisa Jackson, New York Times best-selling author

  Books by Rosalind Noonan

  ONE SEPTEMBER MORNING

  IN A HEARTBEAT

  THE DAUGHTER SHE USED TO BE

  ALL SHE EVER WANTED

  AND THEN SHE WAS GONE

  TAKE ANOTHER LOOK

  DOMESTIC SECRETS

  PRETTY, NASTY, LOVELY

  THE SISTERS

  SINISTER

  (with Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush)

  OMINOUS

  (with Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush)

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

  THE SISTERS

  ROSALIND NOONAN

  KENSINGTON BOOKS

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Praise for the novels of Rosalind Noonan

  Also by

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  PART 1 - THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  PART 2 - THE SHAPE OF TEA LEAVES

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  PART 3 - GLORY’S GHOST

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 46

  EPILOGUE

  Teaser chapter

  A READING GROUP GUIDE

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2018 by Rosalind Noonan

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-1-4967-0804-5

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4967-0805-2 (ebook)

  ISBN-10: 1-4967-0805-9 (ebook)

  Kensington Electronic Edition: December 2018

  For my sisters, Denise and Maureen,

  The best examples I know of genuine love.

  And to my sisters around the world,

  Here’s to freedom.

  PART 1

  THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU

  PROLOGUE

  You can’t do this. You cannot do this!

  The voice in her head wailed at her like a repeating siren as she pushed the stroller onto the wide porch of the fire station. Glory Noland summoned all her strength to tune it out and stay composed for Ruby’s sake. It would be wrong to share her panic and paranoia. Her babies were going to a better place, happier and healthier than Glory could ever make them.

  This is best for your girls. You’re doing the right thing.

  The right thing.

  Swallowing back a swell of stormy emotions, Glory moved the stroller to the side of the door and adjusted the eyelet edge of her baby’s cap. Lulled to sleep by the walk, Aurora was still, her pale brown face was angelic, her steady breath a whisper. Whenever the baby was asleep and quiet, Glory longed to swoop in and nuzzle those chubby cheeks and drop light kisses over her dark, smooth brows. Her baby smell, her smooth skin. In the quiet interludes, she was heaven.

  But those moments were rare. With Winston gone, Glory had no time to love on her baby. No time to read with Ruby.

  No time to sleep, eat, think, breathe.

  So hard to breathe. She needed air.

  “Mommy, can we go home?” Ruby pressed into Glory’s thigh, her little arms holding on as if Glory were a tree in a flood.

  Glory was too choked up to answer. Besides, what would she say? No, little bug, you can never go home again. We can never . . . but you’ll have a new home. A better, safer place than I could ever give you.

  The creak of one of the weathered wooden doors startled Glory as a stocky man with dark eyes and a short handlebar mustache appeared in reflective green trousers with suspenders over a T-shirt with the emblem Portland Fire and Rescue 99.

  “Hey there,” he said. “How’s it going?”

  “Fine. Good.” Her voice was pitched so high, it was obvious that she was overwrought. “We just stopped by to . . . to see the firehouse.”

  “Is that right? Well, sorry about that, but we don’t do tours.”

  “Really?” She touched Ruby’s shoulders, looking down at her to avoid eye
contact with the fireman. Her face had to be red, her eyes puffy, from all the crying. “This one is going to be disappointed.”

  She dared to look up and saw that his dark eyes studied them intently. Was he on to her? “Maybe she could sit in one of the trucks? She loves trucks.”

  Ruby turned to Glory and sneered at her as if she’d lost her mind.

  Don’t ruin this! The last thing she needed was for her daughter to correct her now.

  “If you don’t mind, sir.” Glory fed the lie. “We walk by here every day, and I keep promising her that we’ll stop in.”

  He tilted his head, reconsidering the plea from the obviously rattled woman. “You’re killing me, ma’am. Okay, I guess we could take a quick look. Come on around here, young lady, and I’ll get you situated,” he said, leading Ruby around the side driveway to the two tall garage doors.

  Glory followed with the stroller as things began to fall into place. This man was going to make the most difficult task of her life more bearable.

  “I’m Bob Candida. You can call me Fireman Bob,” he told Ruby. “And what’s your name?”

  “Ruby Noland.”

  “Okay, Ruby. I’m going to get you to help me open the firehouse door.” He opened a box on the wall, tapped a code onto the keypad, and then lifted Ruby in his arms so that she could reach the panel. “You press this button here, the one that says ‘enter,’ and we’ll see what happens.”

  The sight of Fireman Bob with Ruby in his arms, trying to teach her the way that her father had, brought tears to Glory’s eyes.

  Ruby gasped as the huge door began to lift.

  “See that? You got the door to open,” Bob said encouragingly, and Ruby granted him a smile.

  Inside the cool shadows of the garage Bob talked about how they needed the big trucks to put out fires. He explained a few parts of the truck, but Glory was unable to hear over the roar in her ears and the noise of her own heart, thrumming in her chest. The physical consequences of a broken heart that would never be mended.

  And now she was crying again, and Aurora was awake and fussing, threatening to spoil the plan.

  Glory ducked beneath the awning of the stroller, hiding as she swiped away tears and took one last look at Aurora, stretching and kicking at the blanket. Only four months old, still a baby.

  How can you do this?

  In one movement Glory picked her up and jostled her gently, soothing her complaints. Who will know how to settle you down? You’ll have to make the switch to formula, and what if you resist? What if you won’t take the bottle? I wish I could have gotten you bigger and stronger, but that’s for your next mother. She brushed her fingertips over one chubby cheek, trying to memorize Aurora’s features in this moment. Your next mother . . . she’s a lucky woman.

  It was after Bob hoisted Ruby up high into the driver’s seat of the truck that Glory made her move. While Ruby counted the little lumps in the grip of the steering wheel, Glory motioned Bob away from the cab.

  “I need your help.” She extended Aurora toward him.

  With a squinty look of surprise, he took the baby. From the way he one-armed her, Glory suspected he had kids of his own. Good.

  “Cute kid. Do you need to find her bottle?”

  “Her name is Aurora, and she’s a good baby. She hasn’t had solid food yet, and you can usually soothe her with her Huggy Bear toy.” She hated the catch in her voice, but she pressed on. “I need you to take care of her, and her sister Ruby. I heard that I can leave them here, that you’ll do the right thing.”

  “Oh. Wow. Hold on.” Bob shifted the baby and held her out, giving her back.

  “No.” Glory stood her ground, arms folded across her chest, a living skull and crossbones. She was dying inside, but she could not touch her baby again.

  Aurora whined, not enjoying the suspension, until Bob pulled her back to his chest.

  “Hold on now, ma’am. What’s your name?”

  “I get to leave her, no questions asked. That’s the law.”

  “The Safe Haven Law applies only to infants under thirty days old. This one is older than that. And Ruby must be four or five.”

  “Four, but they need to be together. They’re sisters.”

  He squinted in disbelief. “You can’t do this. Ma’am, this is a firehouse. We’re not set up for something like this. You’ll be wanting them back in a hot minute, and you’re the best thing for these girls. There’s no substitute for a mother’s love.”

  “You have to take them. That’s the law.”

  “Not really. Look, I want to help you, but we’re in the business of fire and rescue. If you hold tight, I can find someone from Child Services to work with you. A social worker.”

  “I have one of those.” All those days Glory had been ducking Juana Lopez, fearing the social worker would take her kids away, when that would have been the best thing for everyone. She fished Ms. Lopez’s card from her pocket and handed it to him. “You can call her, but I need you to take them. Now.”

  “If you need a place to go, there are family shelters—”

  “No.” Glory had a place to go, but the girls needed something more. A family. Two parents. A home. With their mocha-colored skin and spring water blue eyes, they would be challenging to place, but somewhere in the state there was a family with love in their hearts. There had to be. “Please,” she pleaded, “please, help me. I’m dying inside, but still, I know that this may be the only right decision I’ve ever made. The only right choice.”

  Outside the garage it began to rain and a wind gust brought them the smell of wet concrete and tiny, furious pellets of moisture.

  “All right.” There was resignation and annoyance in his eyes, but also commitment; he would do the right thing for her girls. “I’m going to give you my contact information for later.” He placed Aurora in the stroller and fished a card out of his pocket. “For when you change your mind and want them back. In my experience, mothers never give up on their sons and daughters.”

  Not me. You don’t know me, she thought, sliding the card into her pocket. Once she got across the street, she would tear it up into a dozen tiny pieces and watch them flutter into a trash can. “Sever all ties to the outside world,” he’d told her. That was the only way to start over.

  When he turned away to fetch Ruby from the truck’s cab, she wanted to stop him. She’d been hoping to slip away, avoid the good-bye. It was always best to skirt around the wound.

  But now Ruby was on the floor, taking her hand. “Can we go now, Mommy?”

  Time for the deepest cut.

  Glory squatted down to her daughter’s level. “Mommy has to go, but you’re going to stay here with Fireman Bob.”

  “I want to go home,” Ruby whined, tugging her hand.

  “Remember patience, like we talked about?”

  “I don’t like patience. When are you coming back?”

  “Soon.” Glory had to choke the word past the thickness of tears and emotion.

  “Not soon!” Fear clouded Ruby’s blue eyes. She had learned that sometimes “soon” never came.

  “I need you to be a big girl, Ruby. You need to listen and take care of your little sister, okay?”

  “Okay, Mommy. But can’t I go with you?”

  Unable to face her anymore, Glory stood up and pressed her daughter against her in a hug. “Be good and patient and always remember how much Mommy loves you.”

  Ruby mumbled something, her voice cracking with a whimper as Glory rubbed her back, and then quickly turned and stepped out of the garage bay and into the rain.

  She didn’t look back, not when Bob called for her to wait, not even when Ruby’s pathetic sob carried across the street.

  She kept walking, fueled by a mixture of guilt, sacrifice, and a sense of relief that surprised and shamed her. She had done it for her girls, but it felt good to be free. Even at a high price, freedom tasted light and sweet.

  CHAPTER 1

  Three Months Earlier

  Four
-year-old Ruby stood in the doorway, watching her mother watch the man on television. Everybody on the television was laughing at the man, but that was grown-up stuff.

  “Can you switch to cartoons?” Ruby asked.

  Mommy lifted her head from the couch. “It’s too late for cartoons. You’re supposed to be in bed, love bug. It’s after midnight.”

  “Aw. I’m not tired.” What she really meant was that she wanted to stay up until Daddy got home.

  “You fell right to sleep two hours ago.”

  “I’m getting a snack. I’m hungry.” Not really, but it was a way to stay up with Mommy for a while. Ruby went into the kitchen and opened the cupboard beside the oven. Mommy put the cereal and crackers there so Ruby could do it herself. Like a grown-up, except smaller. Something was bubbling on the stove as Ruby took out two boxes and lined them up on the floor.

  Life cereals were squares. Cheerios were circles. Ruby was going to teach squares and circles to Aurora when she got bigger. Right now Aurora was a baby, and babies didn’t know anything. Ruby knew things. She knew that grass turned green from drinking the rainwater. But people didn’t turn green from water. She knew that Daddy was gone to ’Laska. Life cereals were Daddy’s favorite. Ruby put two handfuls of those into a plastic cup and pushed the boxes back into the cabinet.