Chapter 7 - The First Wife

We did not move until Brenda left.

Even after the office door closed, Emma kept her hand over her mouth.

"She has a gun."

"I saw."

"We need to call the police."

"We will."

"Now."

I took out my phone.

Before I could dial, another call appeared.

Unknown number.

I answered.

"Chloe?"

The woman's voice trembled.

"Yes."

"It's Allison."

Every instinct in me sharpened.

"Where are you?"

"About twenty minutes away."

"Don't come onto the property."

"I have to."

"No."

"You don't understand."

"I understand Brenda has a gun."

Silence.

Then Allison whispered, "Of course she does."

The lack of surprise scared me more than the weapon.

"Allison, what happened here?"

I heard her breathing.

"Derek didn't start out cruel."

I closed my eyes.

Neither had mine.

"He was perfect for almost a year."

Allison continued.

"Flowers."

"Breakfast in bed."

"Notes in my car."

"He listened to everything I said."

"Then we married."

"How long before he changed?"

"Two days."

Mine had taken fourteen hours.

"He said marriage meant responsibility."

"He took my bank cards."

"He said Brenda would manage the household money."

"When I complained, they told everyone I was unstable."

Emma stared at me.

I put the call on speaker.

Allison's voice filled the narrow passage.

"Then Derek started locking me in that bedroom."

Emma began crying silently.

"One night I climbed through the bathroom window."

I looked toward her.

The same escape.

"What happened?"

"Brenda caught me in the garden."

My throat tightened.

"What did she do?"

"She gave me a choice."

"What choice?"

"Go back upstairs willingly or have Derek call the police and tell them I'd assaulted his mother."

I leaned against the wall.

"Did you go back?"

"Yes."

"How did you finally escape?"

Allison hesitated.

"Emma helped me."

I turned.

Emma looked stunned.

"What?"

Allison heard her.

"Emma?"

"I'm here."

There was a long silence.

Then Allison said, "You don't remember?"

Emma shook her head even though Allison couldn't see her.

"You left the kitchen door unlocked."

"I always thought I had forgotten."

"You didn't."

Emma's face crumpled.

"I saw you watching from the upstairs window."

Emma sank against the wall.

"I was too afraid to come outside."

"You still gave me a way out."

For a moment, neither woman spoke.

Then Allison returned to me.

"Chloe, Brenda isn't going to let you leave with those records."

"She doesn't know how much I copied."

"She doesn't need to."

"What do you mean?"

"Because there's one document in Derek's office that can destroy all of them."

"Which document?"

Before Allison could answer, a violent pounding shook the hidden bookcase.

"Chloe!"

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Derek.

He had found us.