Chapter 8 - Leah at the Window
On Sunday morning, a woman appeared beyond the high bathroom window.
Mara saw only the top of her head at first, then a pale face framed by dark curls. The woman stood outside on a ladder, wiping snow from the glass.
“Mara?”
Mara rose too quickly and had to steady herself against the sink.
“Leah?”
Leah Moreno pressed one finger to her lips.
They had worked together in the county records office. Leah had shared lunches with Mara, complained about fluorescent lighting, and once driven her to the hospital after Mara fainted during a heat wave.
“Are you hurt?” Leah asked.
“I’m chained to a bathroom floor. What do you think?”
Leah’s face crumpled. “I’m sorry.”
“You brought them to me.”
Leah looked away.
The truth landed before she spoke.
“You gave them my appointment time.”
“I didn’t know they would take you.”
“You gave them my appointment time.”
“Silas said he needed to talk to you. He said you were going to publish the files and destroy the relocation program.”
“You believed him?”
“I believed my brother would be killed.”
Mara stared at her.
Leah wrapped both hands around the ladder. “He has my brother’s court records. He said he could make a probation violation disappear, or make sure it didn’t.”
“So you traded me.”
“I thought they would scare you. I thought you would sign something and go home.”
“You thought kidnapping was a meeting?”
Leah’s eyes filled. “I was afraid.”
Mara wanted to hate her cleanly, but fear was a language she understood too well. She also understood that fear did not erase a choice.
“Why are you here?”
Leah glanced over her shoulder. “Dana told me to bring food.”
“Then bring information.”
Leah swallowed.
Mara moved closer to the window. “What is this place?”
“A former Harbor House property. It used to be a short-term residence.”
“Where?”
“Alder Road.”
Mara let herself breathe once.
“The house has a red farmhouse behind it.”
“Yes.”
“A bell nearby.”
“St. Orra’s Church. It rings at noon.”
“How many exits?”
Leah’s expression changed. “Mara—”
“How many?”
“Front door, back door, basement stairs. The west room has a window, but it’s nailed shut.”
“June is there.”
Leah nodded.
“There’s a storm coming,” she whispered. “Dana says they’re moving you tonight.”
“Where?”
“A medical transport facility outside the county.”
“A real facility?”
“No.”
The ladder shifted beneath Leah. She grabbed the frame.
“Silas is coming today,” she said. “He wants a final recording.”
“Then help me make it useful.”
Leah stared at Mara.
“You’re going to record him?”
“You’re going to make sure the camera sees more than he intends.”
The bathroom door rattled below them. Leah climbed down quickly.
“What do I do?”
“Tell Tessa the bell rings three times. Tell her blue paint is under the trim. Tell her the red farmhouse is behind the house.”
“How can I reach her?”
“You work in records. You know how to leave a message without leaving your name.”
Leah gave a broken laugh. “You always did make impossible things sound like filing procedures.”
“Leah.”
She looked up.
“If you choose them again, don’t come back.”
Leah nodded and disappeared below the window.
The door opened seconds later. Dana entered with a tray and a face emptied of all emotion.
“Who were you talking to?”
“A bird.”
Dana looked at the window, then at Mara.
“Birds don’t use your name.”
Mara said nothing.
Dana set down the tray. “Silas will be here by noon.”
“Then he should bring his paperwork.”
“He will bring a choice.”
“No. He will bring a camera.”
Dana’s eyes flicked toward the hall.
Mara had guessed correctly.
She ate enough to keep her strength and left the rest untouched. Beneath the tray, she found a narrow strip of paper folded twice.
May you like
It contained four words in Leah’s handwriting.
TRUST NO ONE. WATCH SILAS.
