Chapter 6 - The Sister's Testimony
That evening, as Kevin sat in the county jail awaiting a bail hearing for protective order violation, my phone rang with an unfamiliar area code from Colorado.
I answered with caution. “Hello?”
A woman’s voice, trembling and thick with emotion, came through the line:
“Laurel? It’s Hannah. Kevin’s sister.”
Hannah had vanished from family gatherings seven years ago. The official story from Evelyn was that Hannah was an “ungrateful, rebellious runaway” who refused to respect family values.
“Hannah?” I gasped. “Where are you?”
“I saw the local arrest blotter online,” Hannah wept. “A friend in Oakridge sent me the news article about Evelyn being arrested for shaving Maya’s head.”
Hannah took a deep, shuddering breath.
“Laurel... she did the exact same thing to me when I was fourteen years old.”
My heart stopped. “What?”
“I spent too long getting ready for my freshman homecoming dance,” Hannah revealed, her voice cracking with the memory of buried trauma. “Evelyn dragged me into the bathroom, pinned me against the tub, and shaved my head bald with my father’s razor. And Kevin... Kevin stood in the doorway, laughed, and told me I deserved it for embarrassing the family.”
May you like
Hannah paused, wiping away her tears.
“I left that house the day I turned eighteen and never looked back. I thought I was the only one. Laurel, I’m booking a flight to Chicago tonight. I will take the witness stand and testify under oath against my mother and my brother.”
