"I'm sorry," I heard my mother say. "It's a very emotional time for her, too."

No one said anything. My parents followed me out quietly. We all got into our car, and my father drove off. My parents remained strangely quiet the remainder of the trip to our house. After we pulled into the driveway and the garage, my father stood by the car and kept the garage door open. My mother paused to look at him, curious about why he was just standing there waiting for me to come around.

"Go on inside," he told her. "Zipporah," he said. "Take a walk with me."

"Why?" I asked, unable to hide my fear.

"Just do," he said firmly.

"Michael?" my mother asked.

"It's all right. We'll be in the house in a moment," he told her.

He walked to me. I turned and walked out of the garage with him. We kept walking down the driveway. Where were we going? What did he want? He paused at the road. When he looked back at the house, I held my breath. Was he looking up toward the attic? Could he possibly know? Nervously, I searched the windows. Karen wasn't peeping out. It was all dark and closed.

"What do you know about Karen's relationshi

p with Harry Pearson that you're not telling us or anyone, for that matter, Zipporah?"

I started to shake my head.

"Why were you so sharp with Darlene Pearson in there?"

My tears were returning in force. I couldn't stand up against my father's cross-examination, and I did feel as if I were in court.

"I know you've held back on it, but you'd better tell me now, Zipporah."

I sucked in my breath.

"Well?"

"He was coming into her room at night," I said.

I could almost feel the tightness take hold in his body as he stood beside me.

"Coming into her room? You mean, to do things he shouldn't?"

"Yes."

"She told you this?"

"Yes," I said.

"Did her mother know?"

"I don't know for sure. I think so," I said. "Karen said she did."

"Why didn't Karen tell anyone else?"

"She had no one else," I said. "And she was ashamed of it. She didn't know what to do. She was afraid Harry would be arrested, and they'd lose everything, and her mother would hate her more."

"More? She thought her mother hated her?" I nodded.

"How long has that business in the bedroom been going on?"

"A while. It got worse and worse."

I was sobbing openly now, my shoulders shaking hard. I turned away from him. He put his arm around me.

Tags: V.C. Andrews Secrets Horror
Source: readsnovelonline.net