Chapter 19 - Building a Sanctuary
The silence in the school courtyard seemed to deepen, drowning out the sound of the rain.
"What did you tell her?" I asked, keeping my voice remarkably level, though my heart was hammering against my ribs.
Miss Abernathy gave a small, confident shake of her head. "We told her nothing, of course. Your attorney had already filed the court protective injunction with the headmaster's office last week. Under British privacy statutes and the non-disclosure directive you provided, we informed the caller that no student by that name attended the academy, and that any further unauthorized contact would result in a direct referral to the police."
"Thank you, Miss Abernathy," I said, offering a tight nod of gratitude. "I appreciate your vigilance."
"We protect our students, Mr. Miller," she said gently, looking at Emma with genuine fondness. "Have a lovely evening."
I held Emma's hand tightly as we walked back toward our cottage. She didn't notice my tension; she was too busy jumping over puddles, laughing every time water splashed onto her yellow rubber boots.
When we reached the cottage, I double-locked the front door, checked the security cameras mounted under the eaves, and set the electronic perimeter alarm.
Evelyn was closing in.
She didn't have money, but she had rage. And a narcissist with nothing left to lose has an uncanny ability to sniff out their victim, burning through whatever resources they can borrow or steal to inflict one last wound.
Later that evening, after Emma had finished her homework, eaten a bowl of warm beef stew, and fallen asleep under a mountain of wool blankets, I sat at the kitchen table with a glass of single-malt whisky.
My phone rang. The screen displayed Arthur Vance’s private line.
I picked it up on the first ring. "Did you find out how she got the school's name?"
"Worse," Arthur’s gravelly voice came through the receiver. "She didn't find the school through a private investigator, David. The PI she hired ran off with her five hundred dollars three weeks ago."
"Then how did she call them?"
May you like
"Jessica," Arthur said plainly. "Jessica reached out to your mother yesterday."
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