I will gladly sacrifice my life to end theirs if they do that to Kent.Hasn’t he fucking suffered enough?
Kev clears his throat. “It is, and what I have to tell you will only strengthen that sentiment.”
Reinforcing the crumbling walls around my heart, I brace myself for whatever he’s about to tell me. “Go on.” I drain the rest of my lemonade, ignoring the biting pain tearing at my insides.
“How much do you remember about growing up in the Cateses’ house?”
“Most everything because I lived there from the time I was ten until I aged out. Why?”
“We’ve been talking to some of the other foster boys who lived there at the same time Clayton lived there, and it has uncovered some new lines of inquiry.”
Anxiety prickles at my skin. “Like what?”
“Did you ever think it strange that you were the only girl they fostered that entire time?”
“Strange? Not really. I do remember asking Anna if she could foster another girl so I could have a sister. She told me girls were too much trouble and they preferred less drama.”
He clasps his hands in front of him, pinning me with somber eyes. “It appears there was a different, more sinister, reason why they always fostered boys.”
I have an awful feeling I know where this is going. “Like what?”
“Gerald and Anna Cates were abusing the foster boys in their care. We’ve spoken to several men who have confirmed they were regularly sexually assaulted and raped.”
“Oh my God!” I place a shaky hand over my mouth. “How did I not know this?”
“A couple of the men we spoke to remember you and Felicia, the girl who lived with them before you arrived. We’ve checked back through the fostering records, and the Cateses always had a little girl staying with them. Only one girl at a time. The men we talked to believe you were a decoy of sorts. They said you were treated well, and you always had new clothes and shoes, and they paid for lots of afterschool activities. Is that correct?”
I nod. A sick picture is forming in my mind. “The only time Anna would bake cakes was the day the social workers came to visit. I would help her in the kitchen, and she would let me ice the cupcakes myself. I always had to wear my prettiest dress, and she’d take time with my hair. She encouraged me to talk about my various activities. I did dance and art classes, and I played a variety of sports.”
“They were putting on a show,” Keven confirms.
“Why did none of the boys say anything?”
Shards of pain glimmer in his eyes. “Because they were ashamed. They felt less manly because of the abuse. Some of them were confused about their sexuality. They didn’t just abuse them physically but mentally and emotionally too. And they were afraid of what would become of them. Unfortunately, stories like this are not uncommon in the foster system. There are a lot of good foster homes, a lot of compassionate foster parents, but there are a lot of bad ones too.”
I blow air out of my mouth. “Kent is right. I’ve been so blind. How was this going on under the same roof and I didn’t see anything?” I stab him with a piercing look. “I thought I was smarter than this. More observant.” I bury my head in my hands, feeling utterly ashamed.
“Presley.” Keven places his hand on my arm. “Look at me.” I lift my head, barely able to look him in the eye. “You were only a kid, and you’re not at fault. You haven’t done anything wrong either in the Cateses’ house or with Clay. You didn’t know because they manipulated you so you wouldn’t look. The Cateses weren’t just signing you up for activities so it would look good when the social workers came around. It was a way to get you out of the house. A couple of the men also said they saw Anna put sleeping pills in your hot chocolate so you wouldn’t wake during the night when a lot of the abuse went down.”
That’s why I had difficulty sleeping in the initial months after I aged out and moved out of their home. Because that fucking bitch was drugging me at night. “I’ve been surrounded by monsters most of my life, and I never even knew it.”Is there no end to this horror?Just when I think there couldn’t possibly be anything else, I learn something new. I wrap my arms around myself to ward off a bout of shivers.
“There is more I need to tell you, and this is going to hurt.” Kev lowers his hand back to his lap.
I have a feeling what he says next will tip me over the edge, but I won’t shy away from this. I need to understand it all. “Hide nothing, Keven. I need to know everything.” I say it with more confidence than I feel. I honestly don’t know how much more my brain can cope with.
“We arrested the Cateses three days ago. We have enough evidence and enough witness statements to bury them. They are singing like canaries, trying to deflect blame.” He rubs his thigh, and I know he hates having to be the one to tell me this. “They cherry-picked Clayton to come and live with them. They knew Jeff Rinaldi, and they met Clay through him. Apparently, Jeff was abusing Clay.”
Bile collects at the back of my throat, and I don’t know how to process that revelation. “Clay was eager to get away from Jeff, so they coached him on how to make it happen. They knew Jeff would put his hands on you, and they had Clay primed and ready to leap to your defense. They were the ones who told him to report Jeff, and they then put in an application to foster both of you.”
“None of it was real,” I blurt. “Even back then.”
“Clay helped prepare boys for them,” he adds, gulping visibly. I’m guessing he’s used to hearing all kinds of harrowing shit in his line of work, but knowing this is so close to his brother means this has got to be ten times harder to stomach. “He befriended all the new foster boys and groomed them.He almost made it seem normal. That’s what one of the men told us.”
I have no words, so I just stare at him blankly, and he continues. “He raped them too, Presley. Clay had stopped being a victim.”
Daggered pain rips across my chest, making breathing difficult.
The man I called my brother was an animal who preyed on vulnerable kids.
