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Scarlett saw Haddie nod her head from her peripheral vision as she pulled open the door on the back of the building with a small placard that told her she was in the right place. They entered a back stairwell and followed it down, stepping into a wide-open area, stacks of folding chairs and tables against the far wall next to a darkened hallway, and a basic kitchen area to their right. The smell brought back memories of school events after hours. There was a room off to the side with a large picture window where you could observe children playing, the muffled sounds of their laughter echoing through the glass.
Scarlett squeezed Haddie’s hand and walked to the door, rapping on it. When it swung open, an older woman with close-cropped gray hair and a wide smile stood there. “Hi,” she said, looking between Scarlett and Haddie.
Scarlett smiled. “Hi, my name is Scarlett Lattimore, and this is Haddie. We’re new in town, and I was hoping someone here would have some information about locating childcare for my daughter? It would only be on an as-needed basis.”
The woman nodded and opened the door wider. “Oh yes. I’m Ruth. Come on in. This is the childcare room that’s only open during services. But I’m sure Sister Madge could help you. She knows everyone in the community. Let me give her a call.”
“Thank you.”
Ruth picked up a phone on the wall by the windows that faced the cemetery and Scarlett nudged Haddie as they waited, nodding toward the bookshelf and encouraging her to check it out. Haddie walked slowly to it, picking up a book as Ruth came back. “Sister Madge lives on site, and has her own office-slash-residence right behind the church. If you go back out the way you came and follow the path in that direction, you won’t be able to miss it.”
“Great. I appreciate it.” She glanced over at Haddie who had opened the book in her hands and already seemed engaged. A little girl sitting nearby looked up and Scarlett noticed that her eyes were strangely spaced, one slightly larger and higher than the other. The child lowered her head, going back to the bead maze she was playing with.
“Haddie’s welcome to stay here with the other children while you speak with Sister Madge,” Ruth said.
“Oh, okay . . . well, that would be good. I’ll only be a few minutes, I’m sure.”
“Haddie?” she called to her daughter, who looked back at her. “I’m going to be back in a few minutes okay?”
Haddie looked slightly unsure, but nodded. “Okay, Mommy.”
Scarlett thanked Ruth and headed back outside, taking the cement path to the back of the church where she immediately spotted a very small white house. She walked to it, knocking on the glass pained portion of the door, and turned the knob, pushing it open when a pleasant voice singsonged from within, “Come in.”
Scarlett stepped directly into a front office, featuring a sitting area off to the side.
An older nun stood up from where she’d been sitting at her desk, smiling kindly at Scarlett. “Well, hello. Scarlett Lattimore, right? How wonderful to welcome a new family to our community.” She brought her hands together in front of her face in a silent, singular clap.
Scarlett walked forward, extending her hand. Sister Madge took it, her skin cold and smooth, her fingers as delicate as a bird’s wings. “Thank you,” Scarlett said, letting go and taking a seat at the leather chair in front of the desk. “We’re so happy to be here.”
“Where in Farrow are you living, dear?”
“We’re actually outside town, at the old Lilith House?”
Sister Madge’s expression did something funny, but it was so fleeting that Scarlett wondered if she’d imagined it. The old woman smiled broadly. “Isn’t that wonderful? I daresay I never thought the old girl would see life again. I must hear all about what you and your husband plan to do with it.”
“Oh, um, there’s no husband, that is, it’s just me and Haddie.”
The same smile remained on Sister Madge’s face, unmoving for several beats. “Oh, I see.”
She told herself she might be imagining the sister’s disapproval. Then again, if anyone was going to be a stickler for doing things the “proper way,” she supposed it’d be a nun. Scarlett glanced away for a moment, clearing her throat. “So, I’m in the process of acquiring quotes for a full remodel. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be opening a wedding and event business on the property in the spring.”
“Weddings,” Sister Madge sighed, clapping her hands together the way she’d done moments ago. “Such happy events. So many young women gracing our little town. How lovely.” She lowered her hands, folding them on the desk in front of her. “I imagine you’ve heard about the tragedy that occurred at Lilith House thirteen years ago.”
