Katherine’s eyes grew wide. “What?” she gasped.
“Sí. More children. In your father’s wine cellar, there’s a secret room. There must be something in there that can help you prove he’s abusing children. Something his money can’t fix. Katie, you need to come home.”
“No…no, I can’t. I’ll just sneak in while they’re out or something.”
Gabby dropped her head and exhaled as if defeated. “I don’t know how to get into the room, and your father changed all the locks in the house. If he knows you can’t get in, he’ll accuse me or someone else from the staff. It’ll take time to find the keys.”
Katherine pushed her hair behind her ear and placed her hand over Gabby's.
“I’ve beeninterruptingyour father every chance I get. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do that.”
“I’ll figure something out. Something that doesn’t involve me moving back into that house. Please, do your best to look out for Maddie.”
“Okay,” Gabby relented with a sigh. “I’ll do my best. Please, don’t take too long.”
Gabby climbed out of the car and disappeared around a van. Katherine started the car and did her best to force out the image of her innocent little cousin, her dad, secret rooms, and powerful predators.
A quick trip to the supermarket and a short drive later, Katherine was ringing the bell to Joseph’s apartment. Seconds later, he hopped down the stairs and opened the door. He grabbed the grocery bags from her hand and propped the door open with his body.
“Hey. How’d you do on your final?” he asked as she entered.
“I’m pretty sure I did fine. How was your day?”
“Fine. Got some household things done.”
They entered the apartment, which was spotless, and the smell of cleaning products was in the air. “You’ve been busy,” Katherine commented.
“Yes, I have. With school and work, I have very little time to get things done. Thought I’d take advantage of my day off. By the way, I had keys made for you. They’re on the table.” Joseph entered the kitchen and put the bags on the counter. “What’s all this?” he asked.
“Oh, I just picked up a few things. I thought I’d fix your lunch for work tonight.”
Joseph turned around with a grin. “You’re gonna make my lunch? As in cooking?”
“No,” Katherine chuckled. “More like slapping cold cuts on bread.”
“Whew! Thank God,” he joshed with laughter.
Katherine glared at him through narrowed eyes. “Oh, hush!”
She walked over and helped him put the groceries away.
“Relax. I got this. We both know you’re not accustomed to domestic labor,” Joseph teased. “Go on over there and have a seat.”
He was joking, but he wasn’t lying. Katherine had grown up with a household staff. She didn’t cook or clean, and she didn’t have the first clue how to do laundry. She’d even felt a bit out of sorts at the supermarket as she hadn’t done any of the household shopping. Thankfully, her dad hadn’t canceled her credit cards because, without them, she didn’t have any money.
Katherine sighed, walked over to the couch, and plopped down, disgusted with the fact that she was a grown woman with no idea how to take care of herself.
“Do you have any plans for Memorial Day weekend?” Joseph asked from the kitchen.
“Huh?” Memorial Day had completely slipped her mind. Usually, her family would have a pretentious barbecue at their home. It was never a fun, relaxed event with delicious, messy food or drinks and laughter shared by friends and family. It was the type of event where men showed up with jackets, women wore heels, and insignificant people made business deals. She never got excited about holidays.
“No.”
Joseph left the kitchen and walked into the living room. “You're welcome to hang with me at my mom’s. We’re gonna have a barbecue.”
“Okay. Yeah, thanks.”
Katherine looked up at Joseph and wondered what she’d done to deserve such a thoughtful friend.
