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I smiled to myself, hearing her mother in the little voice. “That’s right.” I set the chick back in with the rest of them. “You’re a good girl to remember.”
“Mama told me. Kittens very small,” Chloe said.
“You had kittens?”
“Daddy hurt them.” Chloe lifted her gaze to mine, tears clinging to her thick lashes.
Daddy hurt them? What did that mean in three-year-old speak?
“Did someone hurt your kittens?” I asked gently.
She looked up at me, blinked as if I had two heads, and then returned her attention to the chicks. “Daddy kill kitties.”
“Your daddy killed your kittens?” My heart beat between my ears.
“Yeah. He took kitties away in a trash bag. They didn’t come back.” Her bottom lip quivered, and several tears traveled down her cheeks.
What did he do with them, the bastard? I drew in a deep breath, trying to remain calm.
“They were your kittens?” I asked.
Chloe nodded and held up four fingers. “Mama found them under the porch. Daddy take them away.” The chicks had brought back bad memories, I thought. I’d never heard her say anything about kittens before now.
“He took the kitties somewhere and they never came back?” I repeated it back to her, hoping to nudge her into telling me more.
“Yeah. Mama cried. Then Daddy hit her.”
“Who did Daddy hit?”
“Mama. She cried.”
My forehead dampened with sweat. “How did he hit her?”
She held up her hand, enclosing it into a fist. “Hits. Hard. Over and over.”
He hit her with his fists. As much as I’d suspected this to be the case, it still sent a wave of shock through me. She’d left an abusive husband.
Was he still looking for her? The way she moved sometimes, like a startled animal, made sense. She’d grown accustomed to being hit.
“Did he ever hurt you?” I asked.
“One time.” She touched the back of her head. “He smashed me into the wall.”
Pop showed up in the barn, calling out to us. “Hey, guys.”
Chloe ran to him, and he picked her up and swung her around before setting her back onto the barn floor. She ambled back to further observe the chicks.
‘“What’s up, Pop?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. “Did you come out for a reason or just to say hi?”
“Your mother sent me with some raspberry preserves. I gave them to Sammie, and she told me you guys were in here, so I thought I’d say hey. Feels like I haven’t talked to you much lately.” His gaze lingered on my face a little longer than usual. “Everything all right? You’re looking a little green around the gills.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I lowered my voice, glancing over to make sure Chloe was out of hearing range. “I just had a disturbing talk with Chloe.”
“Something about her mom?” Pop asked.
“How’d you know?”
“It’s not too hard to see you care for her.”
