I heard a soft moan, then Nora stirring. I held my breath.
“Mom?” she called.
If she suddenly got up and fell over the side, I’d never find her in the dark water. “Stay still, Nora. Stay where you are,” I said, and began to retrace my steps.
“Mom?”
She might not become hostile if she thought I were Aunt Jule. “Yes, love. I’m here. Go back to sleep.”
“Where am I?” she asked. “Is this the place for crazy people? Are you locking me up?”
I winced. “No, Nora, you’re home.”
“You’re not Mom.” Her voice sounded clearer. She would soon realize where she was.
I said nothing more until I was four feet from her. “Nora, it’s Lauren.”
I heard her draw back.
“Everything’s okay. Just stay against the wall. Lean against it.”
There wasn’t a sound from her.
“Are you hurt, Nora?” I asked, moving closer to her.
She didn’t answer.
I took another step and crouched down. “What happened?”
Still, she was silent.
“Do you know what happened to you? Tell me so I can help you.”
“Don’t tell,” she whispered.
“It’s all right, you can tell me.”
“It’s a secret.”
“You can tell me the secret.”
She said nothing.
I waited a few moments, then tried a different tactic.
“What hurts?” I asked. “Does your stomach hurt? Your arm?”
“My head.”
“Why does it hurt?”
“Because I’m crazy,” she said softly.
I blinked away unexpected tears, imagining what it was like for her, trapped inside her own dark world. I felt for her fingers. “Take my hand and show me where it hurts.”
She guided my fingers. When I touched the crown of her head, she cried out.
“Is it sore?” I asked. “Is it bruised?”
She whimpered.
“Did someone hit you?”
“Don’t tell.”
“You can tell me. It’s okay.”
“It’s a secret.”
“When did your head start to hurt?” I asked.
“I don’t remember.”
“Were you in a hiding place?”
She was quiet for a moment. “In Frank’s garage. It hurts, my head hurts!” She whimpered like a small child.
In the distance I heard a boat motor. I hoped it was turning away from us and wouldn’t create a wake. “Did Frank find you in his garage?”
She continued to cry.
I laid my hand cautiously on her back, then rubbed it, trying to soothe her. The boat engine sounded closer. “Is the garage one of your hiding places, Nora?”
“Yes.”
Then either Holly or Frank could have found her there.
After her hair was knotted, Holly was scared and angry. Had she lost her temper? No, it was Frank who had lured me here, and most likely it was he who had struck Nora.
I heard the boat zip past us. So did Nora — I could feel her body get rigid. “Where am I?”
“You’re okay.”
She heard the watery movement and her voice quivered.
“I’m in the boathouse. Sondra is here.”