The Chance to make a Change

Chapter 21: Naughty Girl

Summary: He never stopped playing.
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You woke up in the dark. At first, you didn't know why. Everything around you seemed a shade of grey and it was hard to make out shapes. Your vision needed to adjust so you focused on your other senses instead. You listened for Albert's snores or deep breaths, but there were none. Then the lack of warmth next to you in the bed became glaringly apparent.

Albert had gone again.

You sat up straight instantly, heart thumping wildly in your chest. Where had things gone wrong? These past few days, everything seemed to be going the right way for once. You had managed to distract Albert from going to Finney. Whenever he did visit him, you were the first to enter. You were the one handing Finney his food. You were the one Finney tried to talk to, with Albert lurking behind you at the bottom of the basement stairs, waiting and watching. You were the one Finney was starting to trust, you knew this. You had seen it in his eyes.

But trust wasn't the thing that mattered here. You hoped to buy Finney all the time he needed to prepare for his escape. And you hoped that you would find a way to keep Max out of the basement before that happened.

You moved your hand up to your chest and were surprised at how easy the movement was. Bewildered, you stared down at your cuffed wrists in the dark. Where had the rope gone? You turned around and felt across the mattress for it, finding the end of the rope at your side of the bed, somewhere near your legs, as if it had slipped loose.

Surely not? That knot had been ever so tight. Then again...

It is a trick, a tiny voice in your mind said. Your gaze turned towards the door in thought. Had Albert gone down to the basement again? Curiosity grew inside of you, the need to step out of the room and chase after the man growing along with it. You had promised you'd keep Finney safe from him. But what if this was all done on purpose? A setup to see if you would try to run away after promising him so many times that you would not?

Your eyes scanned the room while you listened for any sounds. Samson wasn't in the room, which was another clue that something was heavily amiss. Had he taken the dog with him?

With bated breath, you carefully stepped out of the bed, the blanket slipping to the floor. Another step forward on bare feet. It was chilly here, and you wished you could wrap your arms around yourself for warmth. Those stupid cuffs.

In front of the door, you halted and took a moment to calm your breath. You half expected Samson to come barking the moment you opened the door, which stood slightly ajar as if inviting you to slip out. A trick, your mind cried out again. But you were determined. If Albert was intimidating Finney then it was up to you to put him to a stop.

The hallway seemed empty, and you took a final glance behind you, at the window, regretting the fact that you were going to go deeper into the house when you could have tried to escape. But you'd promised to spare Finney as much trauma as you could, and so you walked into the danger with your eyes wide open.

The living room was eerily quiet. No Max on the couch, like you had expected him to be. But there was another door to the left. You heard snoring sounds coming from it. A spare room, you thought. Not one snore, but two. Max and Samson were in there? So that's where Albert had left him for the night. You couldn't blame the dog though for sleeping with Albert's brother. The poor creature must be heavily traumatized from having to see Albert on you night after night.

You bit back a wry smile at that thought, then moved through the room again. The front door was locked, the bicycle lock glimmered in the moonlight that came in through the windows.

There was the corkboard with the threads of wool that were lined up all around the house. Max was close to solving the case. You held still in front of it for a moment, observing his progress the best you could in the dark. The moonlight hit the board at just the right angle for you to see most of the notes attached to it.