Chapter 4 - The Witness
Miller left to follow up on the new lead. I remained tethered to the hospital room, trapped in a suffocating bubble of anxiety. Ruby was finally breathing easier, her cheeks regaining a soft, rosy hue. But Maisie remained entirely mute.
Every time a nurse entered, Maisie’s eyes darted to the door in pure panic. She refused to eat. She only allowed me to touch her if my movements were slow and clearly telegraphed.
I couldn't just wait. I needed to do something.
I pulled out my phone and found the number for Mrs. Gable, my parents' next-door neighbor. She was a busybody, an elderly woman who missed nothing that happened on Maple Street. If anyone saw anything on Christmas night, it was her.
She answered on the second ring, her voice hushed. "Sarah? Oh, honey, I heard police cars last night. Is everything alright?"
"Mrs. Gable, I need you to be completely honest with me," I said, ignoring pleasantries. "Did you see me drop the girls off yesterday evening? Around 6 PM?"
There was a long pause. "I... I did. I was washing dishes. I saw your car pull up. I saw your sweet little girls walk up the steps."
"Did you see the door open?"
"No," she said softly. "I saw them stand there. I assumed they were waiting for Arthur to unlock it. But then..." She hesitated, her voice trembling. "Sarah, I don't want to get involved in family trouble."
"My daughters almost froze to death, Mrs. Gable. Please."
I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. "Oh, dear God. Sarah... there was screaming. Before you pulled up, maybe ten minutes before. I heard Arthur yelling. And then I heard a crash from inside their living room. When you drove away, the girls just stood there. I saw Maisie pounding on the door. But..."
"But what?" I pressed, tears streaming down my face.
"But then the porch light snapped off. It was deliberate. Someone turned it off from the inside. And then I saw a man, pacing furiously behind the living room window. He was waving his arms. It wasn't your father. It looked like... it looked like Leo."
I closed my eyes. The puzzle pieces clicked together, forming a picture so horrifying it made my stomach heave.
Leo was there. He was violent, demanding money or a place to hide. My parents, trapped in their toxic cycle of protecting their violent son, had chosen to lock down the house.
They saw Maisie and Ruby. They knew they were out there.
But opening the door meant exposing Leo. Opening the door meant the girls might get hurt by him, or that I might call the police on him.
So my father turned off the porch light. He plunged his grandchildren into darkness, hoping they would just walk to a neighbor's house. Hoping they would just magically disappear so his precious son wouldn't get in trouble.
He chose Leo. Over an eight-year-old and a three-year-old in a snowstorm.
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"Thank you, Mrs. Gable," I whispered, and hung up.
I looked at Maisie. Her wide, haunted eyes were fixed on the window. She hadn't just survived the cold. She had survived the ultimate betrayal.
