If You Tell summary

Shelly was a beautiful young woman and always had a certain way with men. She married her first husband, Randy, in 1973, right after high school. They first met in Pennsylvania, after Shelly had been sent to live with her aunt and uncle on the East Coast. Since no school in Washington seemed willing to take Shelly, this was seen as her best opportunity.

When she returned to Battle Ground after graduating, Shelly got in touch with her high-school boyfriend and invited him to come live with her. Actually, “lured him” might be the better way of putting it. She’d gotten a job as a nurse’s aide at one of her father’s nursing homes, and as she explained, Randy could get a job as a maintenance man.

Throughout the years, Nikki would get the worst of it. She was the oldest, and she always seemed to be doing something wrong in her mom’s eyes. Shelly was a nocturnal predator. So, in the middle of the night, she’d often barge into Nikki’s room, drag her out of bed, and start punishing her for some unknown misdeed.

The punishments could involve being thrown around her room or being dragged outside into the cold night. Shelly used all manner of tools for beatings but had a fondness for electrical cords. The punishments often didn’t stop until blood was drawn. All the while, hateful language would spew from Shelly’s mouth, telling Nikki she was a worthless loser.

The dynamic in the house changed in 1988 when Shane Watson arrived. Shane was the son of Shelly’s brother, Paul. At the time, Paul had spiraled into a life of crime and substance abuse, and 13-year-old Shane was at risk of heading down the same road. So the Knoteks decided to take him off the streets and into their home.

Despite his rough upbringing, Shane was a fun, personable kid who often had a smile on his face and a joke to tell. He quickly became like a brother to Nikki and Sami.

If anyone asked, in 1994, Kathy had eloped with a truck driver named Rocky. Shelly drilled this story into the heads of Shane and her daughters. Shane, of course, knew the truth. Nikki did too. But Sami wanted to believe her mom. She really loved Kathy.

In the end, though, it didn’t matter how much the kids promised to uphold Shelly’s cover story. She was paranoid. Especially about Shane. Shelly was constantly in Dave’s ear whispering her concerns. He can’t be trusted. We need to do something. Dave was resistant. He liked Shane. But his resistance to Shelly’s demands never lasted long. Dave was helpless.

Michelle “Shelly” Knotek showed signs of violent, controlling behavior at an early age. Once married, that behavior only intensified. When her third husband and her two children moved into an isolated house, the physical and psychological abuse she inflicted upon her family and friends grew to nightmarish proportions. Her daughters were subjected to painful and humiliating torture, as was her nephew Shane. When her friend Kathy moved in, she ultimately died as a result of the torture and abuse. This led to Shane also being murdered. Once her daughters began to move out, her friend Ron Woodworth became her next victim. When he also died as a result of Shelly’s torture, the police finally arrested Shelly and her husband Dave.