ADVERTISEMENT
A bang hit the bathroom door.
Three sharp taps.
Mother gasped and grabbed my arm.
“Elena?” Julian called. “Everything alright?”
I have stabilized my voice.
“She felt dizzy. I’m helping her.”
The handle moved.
I had closed it.
“Why is the door closed?”
– Because she’s taking a bath.
The silence continued.
Then Chloe spoke from the hallway.
“She doesn’t need help to bathe.”
My mother’s fingernails are pressing into my wrist.
“I’m here now,” I replied. “We’ll be coming down shortly.”
Another silence.
I imagined Julian and Chloe exchanging a glance outside the door.
Finally, Julian said, “Dinner is getting cold.”
His steps retreated.
The mother whispered, “They know.”
“They suspect something.”
“I will be punished.”
– No.
“They always do it.”
I crouched down beside him again.
“Listen to me. In a few minutes, the police will be here. Until then, stay in this room. Don’t open the door to anyone except me or a uniformed officer.”
– And you?
“I’m going downstairs.”
Her face turned white.
– No.
“I have to prevent them from rising again.”
– Elena, please.
I took both hands.
“I’ve spent twenty years standing in court against dangerous people. I know how to stay calm.”
“They’re not strangers. They know how to hurt you.”
The phrase had more meaning than she intended.
Continue on the next page.
ADVERTISEMENT
