Baby Doll(15)

“Sky. I’m your Aunt Abby. It’s so nice to meet you.”

Abby reached out to shake Sky’s hand. Sky mirrored Abby’s actions, put out her hand, and they shook.

“Are you back from your adventure now? Mommy said we couldn’t see you or Grandma because you were on a big adventure.”

Lily knew how difficult it must have been for Abby to keep smiling. But she never wavered. “Yes. I’m back from my big adventure, and I’ve never been so happy to see your mom and to meet you!”

“Mommy missed you a lot. She talked about you all the time.”

“I missed her too.”

Lily wanted to stay here, to tell Sky how amazing her aunt was, to find out everything there was to know about Abby’s life, but there would be time for that later. Right now, she had things she needed to do. Lily turned her head, zeroing in on the sheriff. He sprang forward like a jack-in-the-box.

“I’m really sorry ’bout all this, Lily, but the clock is ticking. If you were abducted…?” Lily saw the flash of anger in her mother’s eyes. Abby’s expression mirrored Mom’s. She spoke up instantly.

“What does that mean, Sheriff? If she was abducted? Where do you think she was? A f*cking day spa?”

Sheriff Rogers tried to backtrack but Abby kept at him, her words a steady stream of fury. Lily’s attention drifted, an argument unfolding around her. If there was anything Rick had taught her, it was that losing your cool made you weak. Lily refused to give in to weakness. She looked down at Sky.

“Stay right here. Mommy will be back in a second.”

Sky obeyed, laying her head on the pillow, her exhaustion overwhelming her. Lily moved away, out of Sky’s earshot. Abby, Mom, and Sheriff Rogers followed. She spoke softly so that Sky couldn’t hear her.

“It was more than an abduction,” Lily said, silencing everyone. “A man held me hostage. He tortured me. For years, I was his captive. Today we escaped.”

Abby squeezed Lily’s hand. Eve gave her an encouraging nod, as if to say, It’s okay. We’ve got you.

Rogers took Lily’s silence as his cue to speak.

“We should get you and Sky to the hospital. Do you have this man’s name? A description? Anything that might help us track him down?”

All Lily had to do was say his name, and the officers would rush off and make an arrest. But all those cops waiting outside were strangers. What if they knew him? What if they played in his Tuesday-night basketball league? Or he tutored one of their kids? Maybe a few of them sat side by side with Rick and Missy Hanson at Sunday morning mass. A shiver raced up Lily’s spine. What if she told them who he was and they didn’t believe her?

“No way. Not Rick Hanson,” they’d say.

“Guy’s a saint.”

“Wait, that Rick Hanson? Not in a million years.”

Or worse, what if they were like him? Sadists disguised in state-issued uniforms.

Lily considered her options. What would happen after she gave them his name? They’d take her to a hospital, where doctors would poke and prod her and Sky endlessly. Doctors would document the abuse. Detectives and therapists would ask all sorts of invasive questions, while Sheriff Rogers and his men got to play hero.

“What’s today?” Lily asked Abby.

“It’s Wednesday, November 11, 2015.”

Lily glanced at the hall clock. It was a little after ten in the morning. He would be regaling his second-period students with stories about his weekend exploits. Maybe he’d share a humorous anecdote about his writer’s block.

“I can’t crack the last chapter,” he’d say.

Or maybe he’d tell his students about another one of Missy’s failed kitchen experiments, or he’d lament the horrible Giants’ defense. She bet he never once mentioned the hostages he kept locked away in his underground bunker.

“I know who he is. I’ll take you to him myself.”

Sheriff Rogers stared at her as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what she was saying. Lily repeated herself, carefully enunciating each word. “I’ll take you to the man who kidnapped me.”

“Young lady, that can’t happen,” Sheriff Rogers said, speaking to her as if she were a child. He stopped himself, softening his tone. “What I meant to say is, not only is it dangerous, but that is completely against protocol.”

“Fuck protocol,” Abby said, glancing over at Lily, who was standing still, listening to everyone.

Mom stepped forward, joining in the chorus of disapproval.

“Abby, you’re not helping. Lily, you and Sky need medical treatment. Not to mention food and rest. And whoever this man is, he doesn’t need another chance to hurt you. To hurt any of us.”

Lily tried not to overreact. How was it possible that even now she wasn’t responsible for her own choices? Even after surviving Rick, after getting the luckiest break of her life, they were telling her what she could and couldn’t do. She and Abby had always been allies. As children, there were constant battles to be waged against their parents. Lily could remember being furious with her sister over what was no doubt some minor childhood injustice, but the minute their parents turned on either of them, Lily and Abby had each other’s back. That was part of the twin bylaws. They always looked out for each other. Lily was hoping that time hadn’t changed that.