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“Is Grandfather going to come back and take us away again? Hurt us again?”
Sheriff Lake shook his head. “No. Sweetheart, Grandfather’s heart stopped working. When that happened, his body died. He can’t hurt you or your brother or anyone else again.”
“No more ladies with babies in their bellies? He made them livedownstairs.”
“No. I promise.” He held out his hand to her. “You were very brave, to call 911. To get help.”
Oakley put her fingers in his. “I saw the lady in the hospital clothes from the window.”
There were men and ladies listening to her. Oakley felt really sweaty. But they werelisteningto her.
Because what she had to say wasimportant.“I saw the lady in the hospital clothes. Grandfather had her in the car trunk. I didn’t want him to hurt her like he did the other ladies in the basement. And I saw Mean Vaughn bringing the lady with the red hair and the lady with the blue hair. Jilly Silly says onScraggle Poppsto call 911 if it’s a ’mergency. So I did.”
“And you helped save those ladies. The lady in the hospital clothes is Bonnie and she’s a nurse here, too. The lady with the red hair is Jilly Silly’s baby sister. You helped save her, too. You were very brave. And I am very proud of you. It was very brave. Don’t ever forget that.”
Oakley went to him and hugged him. Not too tight.
He had a big Band-Aid on his neck. He had got hurt when he saved them from Grandfather and Mean Vaughn. But he was going to be ok now. Her mommy had told them in the elevator.
“Grandfather can’t hurt us ever again?”
“Never, ever again. I promise. I will never let anyone hurt you or your brother—or your mommy or your big sister Pen—ever again. Pen is the lady with the blue hair. You helped save her, too.”
If she had a mommy now, and he was going to be with her mommy….that meant… “Can we call you daddy?”
“If your new mommy says you can.”
Oakley looked up at her mommy. “Can we call him daddy, Mommy?”
Her mommy had wet cheeks. But she nodded and smiled. She had the prettiest smile in the whole world. Oakley lookedjust like her,too. All the new people said so, too.
Oakley looked at Orion, who was chewing on his Jilly Silly doll’s hair. It smelled a little smokey. Mommy had said they would wash her and she’d be ok. Good as new. “Orion can call you mommy and daddy, too?”
“Orion, too,” her new mommy said. She held Orion close and kissed him. Just like a mommy did.
Oakley’s new daddy scooped her up, too. He was the strongest man in the world!
“Can we have ice cream now?” Oakley asked.
She’d found their mommy. Grandfather couldn’t hurt them anymore.
And they got a daddy, too.
Everything was going to be better now.
Forever.
Oakley liked the sound of that.
150
Pen stayed rightwhere she was, Grace on crutches beside her, as they listened to what Zoey and Murdoch were saying to each other. Pen turned to her friend.
Grace…Grace had shut down. She wasn’t talking at all.
Like, not even one-word answers to any question.
They all had nightmares they were going to have to deal with. Sydney hadn’t wakened yet. Jo-Jo, they had her sedated and probably would for a while, Annie had told her.
