Her face became serious.
“He’s Derek.”
“I know. Is he your daddy?”
“No.”
“Uncle?”
She shook her head.
“Does he take care of you?”
Ivy suddenly spoke from beneath the table.
“He gets mad.”
“At you?”
“At Mommy.”
My mouth went dry.
“Where is Mommy?”
Wren’s eyes filled with tears.
“Downstairs.”
“In your basement?”
She nodded.
“Why is she downstairs?”
Ivy crawled into her sister’s arms.
“Derek put her there.”
For a second, I couldn’t speak.
“What do you mean he put her there?”
Wren made a turning motion with her hand.
“Door locks.”
I stared at the two children.
Their dirty knees.
The missing sock.
The way they had hidden when they heard his voice.
I picked up my phone again.
Wren started shaking her head.
I crouched until we were eye level.
“Listen to me. Derek lied to you about the police. They’re not going to take you away because you asked for help.”
Her lip trembled.
“Promise?”
“I promise they’re coming to help your mommy.”
I called 911 from the laundry room and spoke as quietly as possible.
The dispatcher told me to lock every entrance and stay inside.
