Page 46 of Wishing Stone

“Please. You have to understand. I—” Claire began from her crouched position on the ground.

“I knew it was you! Do you know what’s going to happen to me now?” Hannah screeched.

“No, no. It wasn’t her. Our accountant found the missing money,” I lied, hoping Claire would play along but not daring a sideways glance in her direction. “Now, can you please put the gun down? Talk to me, Hannah.”

“I-I can’t. You don’t understand!”

“So, why don’t you tell me?”

“I don’t need all these people knowing my business!” Hannah bellowed. “I did what I did, and now I need to do what I need to do to protect my baby girl.”

I looked around the room, taking in the terrified gazes of every woman and child. These children didn’t need to be subjected to this kind of terror. If I succeeded in nothing else, I had to do something to get them to safety.

“You’re right, Hannah,” I said. “These people don’t need to hear your personal business. Why don’t you let all the moms, kids, and the other staff leave? After all, it was my accountant who reported the missing money, so you and I should have a one-on-one to sort this all out.”

Her eyes darted wildly around the room, flitting from Claire to me, then back to Claire. It was as if she were trying to weigh her options. Eventually, she jerked her head toward the exit door.

“Go quickly, but you—” she said, angling the gun back at me. “You stay.”

Claire scrambled to her feet and began ushering everyone from the room. Hannah’s eyes followed each person as they filed out, but she never lowered her weapon. My pulse pounded in my ears, the loud beat quickening as I began to second guess my request for everyone to leave. In a matter of seconds, I’d be all alone with a woman who had a gun trained on my chest.

After everyone was gone, she sidestepped to kick the door closed behind them. The slamming of aluminum against the metal door frame echoed through the room and caused my heart to lurch into my throat. Prowling her way back toward me, she kept the gun level. My racing pulse continued to hammer in my ears, but I refused to take my eyes off her.

Once she reached me, she pressed the barrel just below my breastbone. I sucked in a surprised breath when I felt the tremble of her hand. I knew she was just as terrified as I was, but to physically feel the unsteadiness in her hand made me feel a whole new kind of fear. After unintentionally firing the gun into the ceiling earlier, I knew she wasn’t experienced with a loaded weapon. One wrong move, and she could accidentally discharge a bullet into my chest.

I stared directly into her glassy, bloodshot eyes, needing to get a better read on her. Her face was twisted into a sneer, but her eyes were filled with horrendous pain and wild confusion, combined with overwhelming worry and fear. She was trying to be tough, but it was all a façade. My instincts were right. The woman before me was desperate—nothing more. I could talk her down. I was sure of it.

Still, desperate people could be unpredictable, and I would need to tread carefully to protect myself and the baby growing inside of me.

And to think I’d been worried about a virus when I walked through the doors of Stone’s Hope. Had I only known…

I glanced down at the cold barrel of the gun. I didn’t know squat about guns and had no idea if she managed to put the safety on or if it was still off. I didn’t even know what a safety looked like. Then, looking back up to meet her eyes, I angled my chin so as not to show intimidation and focused my eyes on her.

“You mentioned your daughter,” I said. “I haven’t seen her since the day you first came to the shelter. How is she doing?”

The wildness in her eyes slipped a bit, revealing a deep level of sadness.

“She’s good. Eva is… she’s so beautiful and so smart,” Hannah said wistfully. She sniffled and tried to blink back the tears that had begun to well in her eyes. “She’s only four years old, but she can already read. Unfortunately, I can’t afford pre-school, and I had to teach her so she’s ready for kindergarten next year.”

“That’s amazing! What else has Eva been up to?” I asked, needing to keep her talking. I hoped if I stalled long enough, help would eventually come.

“She eats a lot.”

What an odd thing to say.

“Oh, is that right?” was my only reply, but when she spoke again, the reason for her statement became clear.

“It’s why I took the money. I needed to feed her. And don’t give me a lecture about the help that’s available—you—living in that big fancy house. I saw pictures of it on the news. People like you have no idea what it’s like to be in my shoes,” she pointed out bitterly.

“You’re right. I don’t, and I won’t pretend to understand. But I can empathize and listen. Tell me about your struggles, Hannah. Maybe I can do something to help.”

“There’s nothing you can do.”

“Try me.”

“Do you have kids?”

“No, but…” I trailed off, eyeing the end of the gun as I slowly moved my arms to place both hands over my abdomen. “I don’t have any now, but I have one on the way.”

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