“I don’t know anything about two towns.” Daisy’s voice waivers. “Only the one.”
“Will you recognize the town if we get you to it?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says quietly. “I will.”
“And from there, can you direct us to the commune?”
“Yes, I can, but you can’t risk getting too close, or you’ll be seen. Their land is quite big, and they have men who watch out for strangers, but they don’t always go up to the very edges of the far side by the fields.” She nods as if convincing herself. “I can get you there from the town. I just need to find the town.”
I turn to Mal. “Let’s try these two places and go from there.”
I send a text to Felix, telling him what’s going on, and I get a “sure thing” reply.
The first town we approach is a bust.
“This isn’t it.” Daisy is craning her neck to look out of the window. “I’d remember if it was.”
Ophelia bites her lower lip as she stares around. “It doesn’t look familiar to me, but I’ve blocked so much out, the trauma of being kidnapped by the Prophet most of all. I guess not being born into the cult made everything so much blurrier, and then my escape was horrific. My mind has taken all these things and softened them into jumbled mush instead of clearly formed memories.”
I want to hug her, but I can’t. I imagine her memories being blurred and unformed as they’re washed over by time and trauma. Like water wearing away the sharp edges of a stone and making it smooth, the same way my most awful memories are. Like the time my brother lost his hearing. I shake it off, not wanting that to be my focus right now. Not when I need to stay sharp for what’s coming.
We drive on, and I shuffle because I’m starting to get stiff. I have no idea how Roman must feel with his injuries, but to give him credit, he hasn’t complained.
“Are you okay?” I throw the question out to the man behind me.
“Fine,” he answers.
I glance around to look at him and smile. His fingers are entwined with Ophelia’s, and he brushes over the back of her hand with his thumb. I’m not overly jealous of how much time she’s spending with him because he’s gone through hell and high water.
I look down at my phone and give Mal directions to the next town that might be a hit. If it’s not, we’ll need to widen our parameters.
But this time as we approach, Daisy becomes agitated. She’s craning her neck to stare out of the window and chewing on her cheek.
“I think this might be the place. It looks familiar.”
“Can we drive out the other side and get to your community?” I ask her.
Shaking her head, she blows out a breath. “No. Or at least not so far as I am aware from the few times I came. We would drive in, park on the main street, do whatever business we were there for, and then drive back out the way we came in. It’s one road, so I presume if you go out the other way, it leads you farther from our commune.”
“Okay, that’s great.” I toss her a smile, but she only frowns and doesn’t return it.
Calling Felix, I tap my fingers against the phone, waiting for him to answer.
“Yes, boss,” he says finally.
“Can you guys park up here and wait for us to drive through the town? It’s one road in and out, and I think a massive RV driving all the way to the end, turning around and driving back might be noticed way more than an old truck.”
“Sure thing. We’ll pull off the side of the road. Call and hang up if you need help, and we’ll be there in moments.”
“Will do.” I end the call and focus intently ahead as Mal turns onto the long, narrow road. It widens a little as we approach the town, but not by much. Yeah, the RV would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
“This is it,” Daisy breathes as we drive in via the only main road.
Stores with old-fashioned signs hanging outside line either side of the street, which, with the brick buildings, make the place seem picturesque and quaint.Oh, what dark secrets lie behind some of the prettiest facades, I think ominously.
“This is it,” Daisy whispers, her words sounding strained as she repeats herself.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
