Curse the Dark (The Harstone Legacy Book 1)

Chapter 2

With help from Tilda, or Mattie, I still didn't understand half of the conversation we had just had, I stumbled up the stairs from the garage. As we made it to the top I remembered that I had a much more pressing need than food.

"I need to go to the bathroom," I mumbled.

"Of course, you do," Tilda said, her voice laced with sympathy.

She helped me to a small room at the back of the house and gently pushed me inside. After I'd finished, I studied the small window critically, wondering whether I'd be able to get through it.

A voice called out from beyond the door. "I would suggest you not try to get out through the window. It's a lot smaller than you think."

I opened the door. "How did you know?"

Tilda offered me an arm to lean on and I accepted it gratefully, still not entirely confident that my legs would continue supporting me. "When I was a teenager Grandma grounded me and I thought that I'd be able to get out through that window without her knowing. Having the fire department called to extract me was one of the humiliating lowlights of my life."

I tried hard to suppress the smile I could feel creeping across my face. If this wasn't a kidnapping, I could see how this woman and I could be friends. She helped me into the kitchen and sat me down at the table.

Tilda pushed her hair back from her face and gave me a gentle smile. She was definitely not acting like I would expect a kidnapper to act.

"What can I get you?" she asked.

"Some water would be good," I croaked.

"Of course," Tilda said before looking accusingly at the older women. "You've been stuffed in a trunk for twenty-four hours without any thought to your comfort."

Maude rolled her eyes. "Fine, I get it. We could have approached this situation more tactfully."

Tilda pointed a finger at her grandmother. "Not another word."

She handed over a glass of water and I drank it, the cold liquid soothing my throat. A tense silence descended on the room and I looked around cautiously, still unable to reconcile the fact that I had been kidnapped with the three women who looked like they couldn't harm a fly. Right up until Margot decided I was looking too comfortable.

"Did any of you see that documentary that screened last week?" She shook her head. "It was about a serial killer who owned a pig farm and was feeding the bodies to his pigs. Said it was the only way he was able to make a profit considering how much feed is costing these days."

"I'm guessing that wasn't the only reason that he was doing it." Maude looked as if she got those interesting nuggets of information every day.

Tilda was the only one registering the horrified look on my face. "New rule, you two are not to say another word until we get..." she paused for a moment. "Wait a minute, who did you kidnap? She doesn't look like any of the photos of the people you were supposed to approach." Tilda flung a desperate glance at me. "And talk to. I swear, they were just supposed to talk to you."

"My name is Sadie Goodwin. I live in Augusta, Georgia and I work as a librarian."

"Nope. Not ringing a bell."

"It's complicated," Maude muttered.

We all looked at her expectantly.

"We're waiting," Tilda said, the warning obvious in her tone.

Maude hesitated. "She wasn't on the list."

Tilda's head dropped into her hands. "You kidnapped some random woman off the street. Why would you do that?"