by Mira Gibson
“Get out!” She screamed. “Candice, get your things together.”
The girl was getting the shakes, shoulders hunched to her ears, eyes on the floor like she was going to get it if she made a peep.
Hannah yanked him hard again and he swung around, getting in her face. He was itching to scream at her, but she beat him to the punch.
“One phone call, just one, and you’re behind bars. Don’t fight me on this.” Quaking, she stared him down. “Candice, you got your things?”
She had. She was holding her backpack tight to her chest.
“Go on out to my car now,” she instructed, keeping her tone calm for the girl.
Hannah kept her gaze trained on Dale as though mere force of it would hold him to the wall, while Candice cautiously padded out of her room then down the hall.
Sounding miserable, he called after her, “You going to leave your Daddy?” Candice paused. “You going to leave me all alone, Candice?”
“Go on out,” Hannah pressed.
She waited until her sister passed through the door before starting up the hall for Mary’s room at which point Dale dropped the act, advancing on her from behind like an evil shadow. As she entered Mary’s room she knew he’d be prepared to manipulate her since he was so damned good at it so she kept herself in-between them. He couldn’t work Mary if he couldn’t see her so well.
“Come on,” she hustled her. “You don’t need everything. Just enough for a day or two and I’ll come back for the lot of it.”
Mary looked ill, paler than she should, and she was slow about gathering her things.
“What do you need?” Hannah asked, starting for her dresser. “I’ll help you.”
Dale pleaded with her from the sidelines. “What’s going to happen to me, Mary? What am I going to do without you?” Then when she met his gaze he closed in on her, but Hannah was fast getting between them. “Please, Mary.” She had her palm to his chest, holding him back, though he leaned at her, angling to take Mary’s hand. “You know I live for you, girl.”
“Enough!” Hannah shouted at him. She shoved him hard then grabbed Mary’s bag, ripped a dresser drawer open, grabbed clothes by the fistful not regarding what they were, stuffing them deep, and working her way around the room accordingly.
When she glanced over, Dale had Mary in a full embrace. The girl didn’t hold him back so there was some degree of progress.
Hannah tore up the hall, ducked into the bathroom, and collected everything that looked relevant to her sisters, packing each item inside the bag.
“Let go,” she ordered when she returned. “Get off her.” Pushing Dale off, she grabbed Mary by the upper arm, leading her out the door. Then she flung the bag over her shoulder and pushed Mary’s shoulder from behind, getting her through the living room. “What you don’t have we’ll buy.”
Once she got her on the porch she checked fast that Candice was in the car. She was, sitting nervously in the back seat with her nose pressed to the glass.
Hannah didn’t leave. Not yet. She closed the door but for an inch and locked eyes with Dale.
“If I ever see you with one of them I will not think twice, I will not hesitate. I will take your life. ”
He angled in on her and whatever power she’d summoned flushed right out of her. But all he said was, “You already have.”
***
Mary wasn’t her usual, confident self in Cody’s kitchen, which was apparent as soon as she'd entered it, but she'd insisted on whipping up a little something just the same.
From the dining room table, Hannah watched her mill left then right between the counter and islet like she was a stranger in a strange land, compelled to touch things she didn’t understand - the marble countertops, the pots and pans that hung above the islet, the glass cupboards and the wealth of shiny, porcelain dinnerware they contained. She even turned the burners on an off, holding her palm above the glass coils, as though she wasn’t quite sure what to make it, the absence of flames and all. Then she submerged herself in his refrigerator, exploring each shelf, every drawer, taking mental inventory of his groceries.
“Does she need help?” Cody asked. He was sitting with some files and his laptop at the other end of the table.
“She’s just getting settled. I’m sure she’s fine.”
Hannah returned her attention to Candice, who was seated beside her and pouring over her textbook and its many math problems. She was a week behind, but Hannah had assured her teachers she’d catch up and promised the principal both girls would be in attendance from here on out without incident.
“Here,” said Hannah, stealing her calculator, “let’s see if this won’t work.”
She punched in a number and struggled to find the square-root button. It’d been a damn long time since she’d used one of these. Luckily, Candice stole it back with a sense of eagerness she could do it better and took to commanding the thin device and scribbling answers in her binder, pencil scratching hard against paper.
Leaning back in her chair, Hannah observed Mary, who had butter sizzling in a pan and was whisking eggs in a bowl. She’d found one of Cody’s cookbooks on a shelf beneath the islet and studied the recipe as she went. When it seemed the girls would be occupied she asked Cody for a word.
“Sure, outside?”
“Be right back,” she told the girls, but both were so invested in what they were doing they barely lifted their heads.
On their way out, Cody flipped on the porch light then followed after her, being sure to slide the glass door so the girls wouldn't hear the conversation.
“I've got to thank you for letting us stay here,” she started, folding her arms and hunching her shoulders against the breeze. It was downright freezing, the first of November, and the temperature would only continue to drop.
Cody smirked, his lip curling into a crooked smile that showed his gums on one side as if to let her know she was welcome, and she pressed her mouth into a taut smirk, reciprocating the sentiment, though hers was laced with apprehension.
“I need to ask you about something.”
“Okay.” His brows rose like every part of him was open.
But Hannah was hesitant. Could she get his help without revealing how truly messed up her family was? She felt a stab and knew it was because she worried Dale and all his twisted secrets reflected badly on her. Amazing how a person could shoulder shame that didn’t belong to them.
“I want to get Mary and Candice out of the shack permanently.”
“Okay.”
“How do I do that?”
He scraped his teeth over his bottom lip, thinking. “Custody stuff really isn’t my area of expertise.”
“What about assault?”
His brows knit together, eyes snapping back to her with a sharp cock of his head.
Wavering on the details, she stated, “I caught him up to something with Mary.”
Reading her loud and clear, he had to ask, “Sexual?”
She could only grimace.
Sighing out a long breath, he scanned the dark lake at the edge of his property as though it’d help him wrap his head around this. Then he glimpsed Mary well beyond the sliding glass door.
“We’d have to get her into the station. She’d have to give a statement. He’d lose his custody on the spot, but it’d take time to arrest him. There’d be a trial if he denied it.”
Hannah frowned. It’d been brutal getting Mary out of the house. She’d had no qualms about flat out refusing at first. Hannah wasn’t sure she’d be willing.
“I still think he’s good for Kendra’s disappearance,” Cody told her.
“I bet he’s good for a lot of things.”
“Hey, look,” he said, taking her shoulders. “All of you can stay here as long as you like. I’ve got the whole precinct behind me. If Dale comes in and tries to get the kids back, hell, we could tie him up for disorderly conduct, who knows? The man’s drunk most of the time. We’ll make it hard for him.”
Hannah wasn’t worried Dale would take legal action. The real source of her unease revolved around the likelihood he’d find out where they were and come after them.
“Can I get another piece?” she asked.
He smiled and shot her a sideways glance. “I thought you ruled out all my firearms.”
“Yeah, well, beggars can’t be choosers and that revolver isn’t coming out of the lake anytime soon.”
Two seconds after she’d said it she realized her error.
“What?”
“Shit.”
“How do you know it’s in the lake?”
It crossed her mind to mention she’d seen it when she fell in, but she couldn’t lie to him. Omitting the truth had been bad enough.
“Don’t blame her, alright?”
He said nothing so as not to agree.
“With the abuse and her fearing I’d leave, her head isn't right,” she explained, setting the stage for Mary’s defense. “She shot herself in the leg.”
“Jesus.”
“I get it. I understand her. Just, if you could please just leave it alone.”
He worked his jaw.
“Honest to God, I’m grateful she didn’t shoot herself in the head with all the shit going on at home.”
“Right.” He glanced out at the lake again, this time holding the banister in a white-knuckle grip. “Did you ask her about the photo?”
“It fell out of her pocket at the mall. When she found it again, the bottom one had been torn off.”
“And you believe her?”
“Yeah. I don’t know,” she added, unable to decide. “Did Blake tell you anything else?”
“Some. I got him with Dalton now.” He snorted a mystified laugh as though he wasn’t sure whether to be touched or disturbed. “Their reunion was memorable to say the least. You’d think they’d survived Pearl Harbor the way they were laughing and crying and clinging on to each other like they couldn’t believe the other had lived. One thing’s for sure. They’re not interested in protecting the guy.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“I was going to tell you. How about after dinner?”
She nodded her agreement, as Cody evaluated her shivering, hunched posture and suggested they go inside.
Nothing brought Mary back to her senses like cooking. When they returned she was bossing Candice around, as the girl bumbled around the table, carrying a stack of plates, which she set down, arranging each place setting.
“Bring this here,” she summoned, calling Candice back so she could give her a giant bowl of salad.
Certain not to get in Mary’s way, Hannah scooped forks and knives out of a drawer and set those around the table as well.
“Smells good,” Cody told her, giving Mary a reason to grin at him. Her gaze traveled the length of him then she chanced a coy smirk that Hannah didn’t overlook or appreciate.
“It’s Quiche,” she said, beaming up at him as she walked the hot dish to the table. “Candice, the pot holder.”
It might as well have been a foreign word the way the girl’s face screwed up.
“The quilted square on the islet.”
Again, no comprehension. She was stuck on islet so Hannah grabbed the pot holder and placed it on the table, while Candice breathed, “Oh” then took to tapping her mouth with her index finger before bolting for the cupboards where she collected four glasses. She set those out and assessed what else might be required.
“Sit girl,” Mary ordered then eased into her own chair, as Candice came back around. When Cody got situated Mary snapped her fingers at him uttering a sharp “Ut-uh” then added, “head of the table.”
Hannah couldn’t tell if he was impressed or startled, as Cody smiled a soft, “Yes, Ma’am,” and moved to the indicated chair.
When everyone settled in, she served two squares of Quiche to each plate, shaking them off the spatula with Kendra-caliber precision, then took to dishing out salad.
“You don’t have any beer,” she mentioned, shoveling a heap of Quiche into her mouth.
“I don’t,” said Cody. “But I’m sure the adults don’t mind.”
“This adult does,” she countered.
Cody snuck a glance at Hannah. “How old are you?”
“Forty.” Cody laughed, but it seemed Mary was dead serious. “Maybe pick up a case next time you’re out.”
He deferred to Hannah.
Changing the subject seemed a good enough place to start. “What do you guys feel like doing tonight?”
“I have a ton of DVD’s,” he added.
Mary stared at Candice for the answer.
Toothy, and with a string of spinach on her lip, Candice smiled, eyes on the ceiling, legs swinging playfully and causing the table to rock. “Beauty and the Beast?”
“Oh, you’ve seen it a million times.” Mary sucked down some water. “What about something with Jennifer Aniston?” Candice wasn’t on board. “Jennifer Lopez?” She frowned. “Jennifer Garner.” Then Mary explained. “She’s got OCD or something so if it sounds weird.” Mary raised her crescent moon brows. “Just go with it.”
“Well I have a whole library so you can take a look after dinner. Maybe something will jump out at you.”
“Hey, dummy. You got spinach on your lip.”
Upon her sister's comment, Candice wiped at her mouth, found it, eyed it then ate it, diving back into her food.
A small corner of heaven, indeed, Hannah thought, smiling to herself. This was nice. Though brash as ever, Mary seemed relatively content, considering she wasn’t getting tanked. And Candice had a relaxed warmth to her. She’d been talking a little more freely and had gone gaga over Cody's den replete with an entertainment system and a pullout sofa where the girls would be sleeping.
As dinner unfolded, Mary shared about her plans to fix up the shack and build an extension for when she’d have kids. Hannah and Cody exchanged quizzical glances at her mentality, but silently agreed now wasn’t the time or place to remind her the world was much bigger than Dale’s tyranny. Candice participated in the conversation, which spawned sibling spats and brief flares of bickering, but those soon resolved naturally.
When everyone was finished Candice took it upon herself to clear the table, but Hannah quickly relinquished her of her duty, telling her and Mary they could go off to the den and hang out.
Like a true partner, Cody helped her with the dishes, Hannah scraping and rinsing and Cody loading the dishwasher. When they’d cleaned up, he started for his office upstairs and Hannah ducked into the den to check on the girls.
Candice was sprawled across the couch, head propped on pillows, arm dangling off the edge, one leg resting on the back of the couch, while Mary sat cross-legged in a beanbag. A teen movie about an urban dance gang played softly, which had Candice patting her leg in rhythm and humming off key. It also had Hannah wondering why in the hell Cody owned a movie about an urban dance gang.
When Mary realized she was hovering in the doorway, she got to her feet and wrapped her arms around Hannah, surprising her with a hug.
“I like it here,” she said softly.
Hannah stroked her hair and rubbed her back.
“Do you think Daddy’s okay?” Mary glanced up, fearing her response.
Hannah kept her voice low. “He needs help. Serious help. And he’ll get it.”
She looked confused and Hannah figured she probably thought she had been helping him.
“Real help.” She took a deep breath, letting it go. “It’ll be okay.”
“All I ever wanted was for us to be together.” Mary searched her eyes and had never looked more innocent. “Do you think if Mom hadn’t disappeared and I’d have called, you would’ve come back?”
Hannah took a moment to be sure of her answer. “Yeah, I would have.”
Mary appeared pained.
“Maybe all this will be over soon and we can start our new life together. Put everything else behind us.”
Hannah wondered
what would constitute this being over, but gave her a reassuring smile, as she urged her back.
“You’re a very smart girl, Mary. I want you to think about what you’d like to do with your life. It’s time for you to really embrace your potential. You have more to offer this world than fixing up an old shack.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”
Mary’s eyelids relaxed dreamily and a dirty grin formed on her face. “We won’t need a thing, Mama. You enjoy that man. I would.”
Christ alive. Hannah had to laugh. “The ideas you get...” She pulled Mary in for another hug, though it was quick. “Have fun.”
In his office, Cody was perusing his firearms, which were lain across a wooden table. Hannah stepped into the doorway and took a gander at the room she’d never been in. Much like the rest of his home, Cody’s office was kept neat and organized, and had a woodsy feel. An oak desk spanned the far wall under the windows and adjacent was another plaid sofa, though smaller than the one downstairs.
“Take your pick,” he said.
She scanned the row of them and a GLOCK 27 jumped out. Taking it, she asked, “This new?”
“No, just didn’t bring it before.”
“It’ll do.” She glanced down its left flank then the right, feeling its weight in her hand. “Nine rounds?”
“Plus one extra in the floor plate.” Cody walked to the far side of his desk where a closet was ajar. “I have a number of holsters. Shoulder or hip?”
“A hip holster? I can’t walk around town like it’s the Wild West.” She tucked the weapon down the back of her jeans. “I’ll do just fine keeping it like this.”
“Suit yourself,” he said with an easy smile then opened his laptop on the desk and offered her the chair. As she eased into her seat already tense at the information to come, he sat on the edge of his desk. “According to Blake, he, Dalton and Travis were the extent of the operation to abduct Kendra. There were no others involved at that level. He gave up the van’s location, said it was Dalton’s job to drive it to a mechanic’s lot over in Tilton once they’d gotten Kendra in the cellar. A team is going through it now, collecting DNA and talking to the shop owner. I’m not sure what DNA will do for us since we know it was the three kids and Kendra who were inside, but you never know.”