The One Who Got Away by L.A. Detwiler

Author:L.A. Detwiler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2019-10-26T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

‘Did you hear?’ Dorothy asks the next day when I wander into the dining area.

‘Hear what?’ I ask, taking a seat.

‘The news. The floor is abuzz with the gossip. Well, okay, maybe just a few of my neighbours are talking about it. It’s bad, Addy. Really bad.’

‘What is it?’ I ask reluctantly, not sure if I want to know but also needing to hear it.

‘Someone on my end of the corridor, some woman, hurt her arm last night. She’d been pushing the call button over and over but no one came. She tried to get out of bed herself, silly woman, and broke it as she fell. When Jones finally got there – he must have been on one of his rare rounds because she couldn’t reach the button to call anymore – she was in bad shape. It’s hard to tell how long she was on the floor, but my guess is a long time. Jones got questioned about the whole thing, but he told the supervisors that the woman never pushed the button. He’s claiming she’s lost her mind.’

‘You’re serious?’ I ask.

‘Deadly. And the woman keeps insisting she pushed the button. She’s one of the quiet ones, so I’m certain she’s telling the truth. Jones, though, is selling some story that she didn’t push the button and that she’s been a real problem lately getting out of bed on her own.’

‘Who are they believing?’ I question, invested in the outcome for so many reasons.

‘Who do you think?’ Dorothy asks, looking at me pointedly. I have my answer. ‘I’ve also heard that Jones is already furious, of course, for the woman trying to get him in trouble. All I have to say is that I’d hate to be that woman tonight when Jones is back on the floor.’

I shudder at the thought, picturing his frothing, raging face in mine. His actions just solidify what we’ve thought all along – we can’t turn to Jones. We can’t find help here because it will just end in more harm than good.

I also selfishly breathe a sigh of relief, however, knowing Jones will have a different target now. Someone else on the floor got him in trouble. Perhaps he’ll be over his gripe with me.

But after I’ve said goodnight to Dorothy that evening and wander back to my room, I still don’t feel that my torturer is done with me yet. They’ll never let me rest. Never.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.