AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Alright. I’ll do what I can.” I take Violet and Sophie upstairs to the spare bedroom but don’t turn the light on. The curtains were taken down in anticipation of the renovations that are now stalled.
Violet lays her daughter on the bed. Sophie barely stirs and goes back to sleep.
“Did you know Iris?” I ask, the volume of my voice quiet. “She used to live here.”
“No. From what I’ve occasionally heard about her, she died years before I moved to town.”
“Well, she built a special hiding space in the closet. I don’t know why she did that, but thankfully, she did. It’s the perfect hiding place for you and Sophie. Just in case.”
I lead her into the closet, turn on my phone flashlight, and show Violet how to open the secret door. “All you have to do is pull on this handrail, and you can close the door from the inside. No one will know you’re in there.”
I remove the cardboard box with Angelique’s journals, medal, and the heart pendant, and place it by the bedroom door. I also remove the few other things I’ve been hiding in the space, like my laptop and the wooden box with Amelia’s things inside. “Until I can get you to a safe house, we have to make sure no one knows you’re here. You won’t be able to leave this house. You understand that, right?”
It will be like Oskar and his family and the Allied pilots who hid in Jacques’s barn. I silently thank Iris for teaching me what to do through her journals. For giving me the strength to follow in her path, for giving me the inspiration to hide Violet here. For building this space, though I’m sure this isn’t what it was originally intended for.
Violet nods. “Thank you for helping me.”
“You’re welcome. I wish someone had helped me escape my husband.” If they had, I wouldn’t have lost all those years I can’t get back. I would be spending my time with my daughter, instead of trying to prove I’m worthy enough to see her again. “Do you have anywhere you can go? A relative who doesn’t live near Maple Ridge and your husband doesn’t know about?” Who am I kidding? He can find that information out if she hasn’t already told him.
“None I can think of. He knows where my family lives in Portland. And I don’t remember the last time I talked to my cousins, uncles, or aunts. I can’t even tell you where they live now.”
That doesn’t matter. Her husband might have the resources to track her down if she went to her relatives. She wouldn’t be safe with them.
“We’ll come up with something else. My only concern is Sophie. It’s one thing for you to disappear and start a new life where your husband can’t find you. But if you disappear with your daughter, you might be charged with kidnapping if you’re ever found.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take to protect her. We’ll disappear like you did. I’ll make sure he never finds Sophie and me.” Her whispered words hold an edge of determination, barely recognizable under the tremor that hasn’t left her voice.
We go to the bathroom, where I photograph the roadmap of abuse on Violet’s body. She winces from the injuries; some I suspect I can’t see. But every time I ask her if she’s sure she doesn’t want to go to the hospital, she nods.
“You might have fractured ribs,” I tell her.
“It doesn’t matter. No hospitals.”
I don’t push it because I’ve been in the same place. Same abuse. Same injuries. Same husband. A husband who was a cop. A husband who believed he was the law and I had no rights.
After we’re finished with the photos, I add food, drinks, blankets, pillows to make the hiding place more comfortable in case Violet and Sophie need to hide in there for a length of time. I also give her an old flashlight Iris kept in the kitchen drawer and a bunch of old AA batteries that still have some power left.
We have no idea if any of my neighbors saw her outside, but once Violet and Sophie are reported missing, this could be one of the first places the cops search.
Because I’m Violet’s friend.
It doesn’t matter, though, if that’s the case. One way or another, I’m going to protect Violet and her daughter. I’m going to help them start a new life, a life far from here.
I just need to figure out how I’m going to do that. And I have to make sure no one finds out they’re here.
I pick up my phone from the bed and send Simone a text.
Me: Sorry, something came up. I have to cancel tomorrow
34
Troy
July, Present Day
Maple Ridge
* * *
