Booktree.ng_Forgotten-Witness

nameless woman dead only doors down from where her
mother slept moved her as nothing else had. It could so easily
have been Emily.
Josie put her bag down and took the sheets in both hands.
She smoothed them over the lady’s chest, tucking them in
around her. She stroked her hair, cotton soft, more white than
grey.
“I’m so sorry,” Josie whispered. She picked up her bag. It
was time to get Emily’s medicine and be done with all this but
before she could leave the room she heard:
“Emily? Emily, sweetheart, where are you? Come on now.”
***
Peter Johnson’s voice traveled upward in such a fashion that
Josie knew he was in the foyer, at the bottom of the stairs, his
face raised to see if Emily would come at his call. Her mind
raced forward and backward, trying to figure out what was
going on. There was only one explanation. He had seen her –
crossing the open space, rooting around Reynolds’ office,
stealing up the stairs – and mistaken her for her mother. Now
he was after her and he had a gun but that didn’t mean he had
the advantage. Let him think that Emily was wandering
mindlessly through the house. He would be off his guard,
confused when he couldn’t find her, and that would give Josie
enough time to get out of the house and back to the cave.
When morning came she would try her phone again. If she
couldn’t summon help that way, she would walk the miles to
the harbor and get it. All she had to do was survive until then.
She crept to the door of the old woman’s room and listened.
The rain was loud but Johnson’s heavy boots on the
uncarpeted stairs were louder still. He was on the second floor,
walking up and down the hall.
Four steps.