happened.”
Sunny hesitated. She’d said nothing about Josiah to them, but they already knew. They’d already known a lot of things about the family. “How did he know? He left a long time ago.”
“He and—” Officer Dugan paused to check his notes “—John Alvarez Junior had a falling-out? They fought?”
“After Papa died, they didn’t agree on Papa’s teachings. So…” She looked back and forth to the police. “How did he know what had happened?”
Silence. The cops looked at each other again, then her. Officer Dugan cleared his throat. “We’re really not at liberty—”
“Apparently, John Alvarez contacted his brother to tell him the…plans.” Officer Smith leaned forward just the slightest bit. “Unfortunately, Josiah Alvarez didn’t get the message in time and wasn’t able to notify the authorities before…well…”
Sunny tried to make sense of this. “Why would John Second have called him?”
“Miss Albright—”
Startled, she looked up at Officer Smith. “What?”
There was no need for last names in the family. It had never occurred to her they would think of her as Christopher’s daughter, with his name. It had never occurred to her that legally, it probably was.
“Had John Alvarez Junior, alias John Second, been behaving erratically or…um…was there a change in his behavior?” This came from Dugan, who wasn’t quite as nice as Smith.
Sunny thought about the lockdowns. The forced fasting. The punishments had become more frequent, more severe over the past year. “John Second was angry that some people thought Papa had lied to us about what we needed to do to get through the gates. He said we all needed to work harder, that it was our fault Papa hadn’t left the right way. He blamed us.”
Officer Smith gave her another kind smile, but this one didn’t reach his eyes. “Did you know he was going to order everyone in the compound to kill themselves?”
“We had drills.” Sunny drew in a breath and fought to keep her voice steady. “Rainbow drills. It was important that we be ready.”
Dugan sighed. “Ready for what, exactly?”
Sunny lifted her chin. They were blemished; of course they’d never understand. “To leave. Ready to go through the gates.”
“By killing yourselves?”
“Physical bodies can’t reach the spiritual plane.” Papa’s words sounded strange in her voice. Tasted weird. “Our physical bodies are the vessels we use to contain our spiritual bodies until the time comes to go through the gates. That’s why it’s so important to take care of them, because a flaw in the physical can scar the spirit.”
She’d said too much, she saw it in both their faces. Skepticism. Disdain. Pity. She’d seen it before, on the faces of the people she’d offered literature to.
“I need to ask you again, Sunny. And you need to answer me honestly, okay?” Officer Smith leaned forward just a little, those kind eyes sincere but digging far too deep inside her. “The night you left, did you know that John Second was going to order everyone to take the pills that would kill them?”
Sunny shook her head. Her throat ached and her eyes burned, but she lifted her chin and took some more deep breaths to give them nothing but a face of stone. “No. I didn’t. I thought it was just another drill, like all the others.”
Officer Smith stood, and after a second, so did his partner. “That’s all we have to ask for now.”
Sunny didn’t stand. She warmed her hands on the mug. “What’s going to happen to me? And my children?”
The officers exchanged glances. Once again it was Officer Smith who answered her. “Your father and his wife have already assured us that you all have a place here with them. The social worker who was here earlier—”
“Mrs. Umberger.” That had been the woman’s name. She’d had kind eyes, too, but her gaze had been sharp enough to pick out anything dirty, unsafe. Sunny’d seen social workers in Sanctuary,
Sunny hesitated. She’d said nothing about Josiah to them, but they already knew. They’d already known a lot of things about the family. “How did he know? He left a long time ago.”
“He and—” Officer Dugan paused to check his notes “—John Alvarez Junior had a falling-out? They fought?”
“After Papa died, they didn’t agree on Papa’s teachings. So…” She looked back and forth to the police. “How did he know what had happened?”
Silence. The cops looked at each other again, then her. Officer Dugan cleared his throat. “We’re really not at liberty—”
“Apparently, John Alvarez contacted his brother to tell him the…plans.” Officer Smith leaned forward just the slightest bit. “Unfortunately, Josiah Alvarez didn’t get the message in time and wasn’t able to notify the authorities before…well…”
Sunny tried to make sense of this. “Why would John Second have called him?”
“Miss Albright—”
Startled, she looked up at Officer Smith. “What?”
There was no need for last names in the family. It had never occurred to her they would think of her as Christopher’s daughter, with his name. It had never occurred to her that legally, it probably was.
“Had John Alvarez Junior, alias John Second, been behaving erratically or…um…was there a change in his behavior?” This came from Dugan, who wasn’t quite as nice as Smith.
Sunny thought about the lockdowns. The forced fasting. The punishments had become more frequent, more severe over the past year. “John Second was angry that some people thought Papa had lied to us about what we needed to do to get through the gates. He said we all needed to work harder, that it was our fault Papa hadn’t left the right way. He blamed us.”
Officer Smith gave her another kind smile, but this one didn’t reach his eyes. “Did you know he was going to order everyone in the compound to kill themselves?”
“We had drills.” Sunny drew in a breath and fought to keep her voice steady. “Rainbow drills. It was important that we be ready.”
Dugan sighed. “Ready for what, exactly?”
Sunny lifted her chin. They were blemished; of course they’d never understand. “To leave. Ready to go through the gates.”
“By killing yourselves?”
“Physical bodies can’t reach the spiritual plane.” Papa’s words sounded strange in her voice. Tasted weird. “Our physical bodies are the vessels we use to contain our spiritual bodies until the time comes to go through the gates. That’s why it’s so important to take care of them, because a flaw in the physical can scar the spirit.”
She’d said too much, she saw it in both their faces. Skepticism. Disdain. Pity. She’d seen it before, on the faces of the people she’d offered literature to.
“I need to ask you again, Sunny. And you need to answer me honestly, okay?” Officer Smith leaned forward just a little, those kind eyes sincere but digging far too deep inside her. “The night you left, did you know that John Second was going to order everyone to take the pills that would kill them?”
Sunny shook her head. Her throat ached and her eyes burned, but she lifted her chin and took some more deep breaths to give them nothing but a face of stone. “No. I didn’t. I thought it was just another drill, like all the others.”
Officer Smith stood, and after a second, so did his partner. “That’s all we have to ask for now.”
Sunny didn’t stand. She warmed her hands on the mug. “What’s going to happen to me? And my children?”
The officers exchanged glances. Once again it was Officer Smith who answered her. “Your father and his wife have already assured us that you all have a place here with them. The social worker who was here earlier—”
“Mrs. Umberger.” That had been the woman’s name. She’d had kind eyes, too, but her gaze had been sharp enough to pick out anything dirty, unsafe. Sunny’d seen social workers in Sanctuary,
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