"What do you want to know? I shared most of what happened with Evelyn."
"How did you get involved with them?" Noah asked.
"Lured in by a job offer. They would show up at our college campus. That's how they usually do it. They prey on the vulnerable, the lost, the ones looking for community, or those who don't want to work the nine-to-five. My boyfriend and I left good-paying jobs. Gave up everything. We figured this was what life was about. People helping people." She tapped ash onto the grass. "We soon realized it's anything but that."
Noah sat on the bench beside her. "Like?"
"Child abuse. Child labor. Racism. Misogyny. Take your pick. Of course they're careful. It's all love and caring for each other on the surface, but underneath it's rotten. And that takes a while to see, which is why most people inside stay. They spin stories to justify everything. Use fear as a tool. If you don't abide by what they say, you'll be tortured in the afterlife for your sins. The whole thing is like an abusive relationship. Completely toxic. They control your money, your logic, your comings and goings. Having a mind of your own is considered evil." She studied them both as they sat there absorbing it. "Don't take my word for it. They've attracted enough attention to be on the FBI's radar and the Southern Poverty Law Center has them listed as a religious cult group. They have properties all over the world. Most states have at least three of their establishments."
"When did you leave?"
"About two years ago."
Noah took out a photograph. "In your time with them, did you ever see this girl?" He showed her Kara Ellison.
Sue held it for a moment, then handed it back. "No. But I heard about her disappearance."
"What about this person?" He showed her Seraphine's picture on his phone.
"Seraphine Maddox." Something warmer crossed Sue's face. "I know her. She was one of the women who helped me get out."
"What's her connection to the community?"
"Her mother was the sister of Tabitha Smith. Jessie Maddox. She was meant to get married to an elder, called David Hughes."
Noah glanced at Callie. She was writing in her notebook.
"Is Jessie still there?"
Sue's expression changed. The warmth left. "She went missing. Seraphine believes they murdered her, but best of luck proving that. They told the rest of us she went off into the world."
"What do you believe?"
Sue took a hard pull on her cigarette. "They killed her. They're a law unto themselves."
"But why?"
"You name it. Insubordination. Disagreeing with David over sleeping with other women. Younger girls." She paused. "Seraphine told me her mother was going to get her out of there. That was the last anyone heard."
"Seraphine drew a sketch back when Kara Ellison went missing. Do you know about it?" Noah pulled it from his jacket and showed her.
Sue held it at arm's length and studied it. "She believed that's where the Ellison girl was. The community called it a vision. Some believed Seraphine was psychic. Either way, once it came out that she'd gone to the police with it, all hell broke loose. It wasn't long after that Seraphine's mother vanished." She handedthe sketch back. "The day Seraphine turned eighteen, she walked out and never went back."
"You said they've harassed you," Callie added.
“I’ve been followed by cars. Watched outside my apartment. They've gotten me fired from other jobs by lodging complaints. Had my social media accounts shut down when I spoke out against them. They've harassed my family. My friends. Anyone connected to me."
"That explains why Seraphine was hesitant to speak with us," Noah said.
Sue nodded. "All we want is to live in peace. Free from that."
"Do you believe Seraphine has a gift?" Callie asked.
Sue crushed her cigarette against the edge of the table. "I don't know. Honestly, I don't believe in any of that anymore."
“Are you still with your boyfriend?”
"No. The strain of it broke us. He stayed behind with the group."
