Chapter 8 - The Empty Chair at the Kitchen Table
Claire had left Annie with Mrs. Alvarez while she attended a meeting with Helen. When she returned, Teddy was safe in his playpen, but Annie's coat was gone.
Mrs. Alvarez was crying.
"Denise called and said you were in an accident. Annie heard her. She ran out before I could stop her."
Claire felt the room tilt.
"Where did she go?"
"Denise said the old bus station."
Claire called Annie. No answer.
Gabriel called the police. He gave them the threatening message about Sophie and the details of Denise's previous assault. He did not send private men to storm the city. He stayed beside Claire while officers coordinated the search.
At the abandoned bus station, Annie stood beneath a broken clock, clutching the cracked phone.
Denise approached from the far end of the platform.
"Where's Mom?" Annie demanded.
"She'll be here."
"You said she was hurt."
"Don't raise your voice."
Annie backed away.
"I want to call her."
Denise reached for the phone. Annie held it behind her back.
"Give it to me."
"No."
Denise grabbed Annie's sleeve and yanked. The seam tore. Annie stumbled against a bench, frightened and shivering.
"You're making this difficult," Denise hissed.
A man emerged from the station office.
Victor.
Annie recognized him from the library.
"Why are you here?"
Victor looked irritated.
"Because your aunt can't follow simple instructions."
Denise spun toward him.
"You said nobody would get hurt."
"Nobody is hurt."
Annie held her aching arm.
Victor noticed and looked away.
He had intended to frighten Claire into signing a document surrendering claims against the trust. He had told Denise to bring Annie to a public place where they could stage an urgent meeting. But seeing the child shaking beneath the broken clock made the plan uglier than it had sounded in his office.
"Call her mother," he told Denise.
Denise refused.
"Not until she signs."
Annie heard enough.
"You lied about Mom."
Denise stepped forward.
Annie ran.
She reached the street and almost slipped on the icy curb. A city bus driver saw her waving and stopped. Annie climbed aboard, crying so hard she could barely speak.
"My aunt said my mom was hurt. I need help."
The driver radioed dispatch and kept Annie beside him until officers arrived.
Claire reached the bus depot twenty minutes later.
Annie ran into her arms.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I thought you were dying."
Claire held her close.
"You did the right thing asking the driver for help."
Gabriel stood nearby, his jaw tight. He had spent the drive imagining every terrible possibility. When Annie looked at him, he crouched at a respectful distance.
"You're safe now."
"Are you mad?"
"No."
"I broke my sleeve."
"We can fix sleeves."
Annie looked down.
"Can you fix people?"
Gabriel's voice caught.
"Not all at once."
Denise was arrested after officers found her at the station. Victor disappeared before they arrived. Security cameras captured his vehicle, and investigators began looking for him.
That evening, Claire tucked Annie into bed. The girl asked to keep the hallway light on.
"Of course."
"Can Teddy sleep near you?"
"Yes."
"Can we lock the door?"
"Yes."
Claire sat beside her until her breathing slowed.
In the kitchen, Gabriel showed Claire a message Victor had sent him an hour earlier.
YOU THINK JULIAN DIED IN AN ACCIDENT. ASK WHO PAID FOR THE TRUCK.
Claire stared.
"Is he threatening you?"
"I don't know."
May you like
Gabriel called the detective rather than replying.
Outside, Christmas lights blinked along the block. Inside, the paper tree stood taped to the wall, with Sophie's star waiting on its highest branch.
