21
The Quinjet touched down soundlessly on a hidden landing pad in a wide forest area of Maryland. A few seconds later the ground seemed to quiver as the platform descended into the underground hangar. May powered down the jet and waited for the all clear to disembark. She and her copilot had said very little since their discussion over Topeka.
Green lights flicked across a vertical panel on the hangar wall. May waited for all five to brighten then flipped the lever that released the ramp, stood and headed for the exit. She had a hell of lot more to discuss with Fury but not now, not today. It could wait. Right now the only thing that mattered was Skye.
"Transport's waiting for you in Bay Four…probably already running." Fury growled a second before she stepped off the ramp.
May paused. She flexed her fingers then drew them back into tight fists and took that step without acknowledging his comment.
"Avoid the bridge…" he called after her, "should get you there in less than forty-five." His voice was neither encouraging nor discouraging, just informing.
Now, was not the time.
xx
"You are only frightening her," Celia shouted over the woman yelling uselessly at Skye's bedroom door. "She's just a little girl." The older woman was close to tears, witnessing the actions of the case worker. What could make a woman charged with keeping the welfare of youth so very spiteful?
Roffman slammed both palms against the door and stood breathing heavily. She'd tried to order the young officer to break down the door but once again the man refused telling her it was not within his orders. He did agree to call in additional officers but pointed out it may look a bit overzealous having a SWAT team extricate a sick child from her bedroom. The case worker fumed and once again demanded a key to open the door. William repeated he had no key and had never needed one.
The incensed woman stormed back into the kitchen pointing a finger in William's face. "I am not leaving here without that child and neither you nor your lady friend and especially not that door are going to stop me." Her face was scarlet with anger.
William started to rise from the seat the young officer had asked him and Celia to take rather than cuffing either of the elderly 'perpetrators'. The woman placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him back down.
"I'm sure who ever maintains this building has sufficient keys and one that will definitely fit that door." She screamed into his face then pointed to the phone. "CALL HIM…NOW!"
William shook his head, but hid his smile. His former wife had this apartment fortified when Melinda was a toddler. The room that Skye now called her own had once been their daughter's and Lian spared no expense or technology to protect their child. He could not find a key, nor would the maintenance person provide one simply because one did not exist. Once the door was locked from the inside it could only be released by voice command. That voice belonged to only one person. It would also do no good for this young officer to call any more to attempt to release Skye from that room. The wooden panels of the door hid the light but impenetrable metal within and even if this very angry woman at some point thought of going through the outside windows she would find them unbreakable and vacuum sealed from the inside. They could only be released from that side. He really never approved of Lian's career choice but her ability to protect their child and now Skye was ingenious.
"I said pick up that phone and call your maintenance worker. I want that door opened." Roffman spat.
Giving a half nod, William rose and moved to the phone. He picked up the receiver and dialed four numbers. Roffman paced and let out frustrated huffs as she waited.
"Why don't you just let her calm down a bit and stop frightening her with all your pounding and yelling?" Celia pleaded. "She isn't feeling well and…"
Roffman poked a finger at the woman. "Why don't you just mind your own business, grandma? You have no say in this." She finished by slamming her hand against the table top.
"Ma'am," Officer Markowitz interrupted. "Maybe we should all take a step back and slow this down a little. I'm sure this can be worked out if we all just…"
"Shut up!" Roffman barked at him. The young man stopped but remained vigilant. He was not going to let this go much longer. Perhaps it was Roffman that needed the cuffs.
William spoke softly to the person who had answered the phone. He nodded a few times then placed the receiver back in its cradle. "George will bring the keys he has but does not feel it will be of much use. He does not recall having such a key."
Roffman did not answer but headed back toward the door, stopped by the officer who stepped in her path. She almost slammed into him then glared. "Get out of my way or I'll have your badge."
The young officer shook his head. "No ma'am. I think we're done here." He looked over her shoulder at the older couple still seated at the table and added, "for now."
Roffman drew a deep breath. "I will be the one to decide when we are done, Markowitz. Now, move." She poked his shoulder with each word.
"I beg to differ." An unfamiliar voice rang from the door to the foyer.
All eyes turned to the small, well dressed Asian woman who had entered the apartment without a sound. Two large men in dark suits and just as dark glasses stood behind her like centurions. William's jaw dropped for a moment before he snapped it shut. Celia's eyes widened as her hand reached for his. The young officer sprang to attention at the woman's tone and stance.
"What the hell now?" Roffman swore under her breath. "And who the hell are you?" She marched toward the woman who held her ground.
The woman crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm the one putting a stop to this." She announced in a no nonsense, but frighteningly calm voice.
"Says who?" Roffman demanded, folding her own arms over her chest. They faced each other in a stand off.
The woman half smiled put out one hand and snapped her fingers. The guard standing on that side snapped open the case he held and immediately slipped a folded paper into her open hand. Without looking at it, the woman let the folds drop and held it out to Roffman.
"I believe you'll recognize the signature at the bottom of this form ordering you back to the cubicle you crawled out of this morning." The woman informed her, still intensely calm.
Roffman squinted at the form recognizing her administrator's mark. She yanked it from the woman's hand and quickly scanned the contents then crumbled it in one hand and threw it to the floor. "This is ridiculous. I have my own documentation and I am to take Mary Sue from this placement, today." The case worker argued adamantly.
The Asian woman snapped her fingers again, immediately receiving another form. This one she turned toward her self and read aloud. "From this day on the child shall bear the legal name Skye Qiaolian May and so on and so on…" She elaborated then held the form out to Roffman. "The judge signed it about an hour ago. The ink is probably still wet." She pointed toward the scrawl at the bottom of the page. "I'm sure you recognize the seal. And before you open your mouth again…" A snap of her fingers on the other side put the second guard into action, snapping his case open. A second later another document was in the woman's hand.
"This should effectively end all this ridiculous noise." She held the form out and waited for Roffman to digest its meaning. She smiled and flipped it back before the woman could take it from her. "Ah, ah, ah," the Asian woman smirked. "This copy belongs here. You'll find yours on your desk. The desk you'll be cleaning out. I understand you're being transferred to the office in a quaint little place called Port Tobacco. They're in dire need of an experienced paper pusher like yourself."
"That is impossible!" Roffman sputtered. "No adoption goes through that quickly. I haven't even filed my reports."
"I guess that depends on what judge you wake up at five a.m." The woman smiled. "Sonia's usually up with the sun."
Roffman let out a frustrated breath. "This is ridiculous. There is no…"
The small woman held up one finger. "I will give you exactly one minute to get your ass out of this apartment. After that my gentlemen friends here," she cocked her head toward the men in black, "will be more that happy to escort you…physically." She smiled and held up one finger when Roffman opened her mouth to speak. "You have questions? Take them up with your boss. I'm sure she has a lot she'd like to discuss including those rather nasty conversations with your sister. Regina…I believe is her name."
Roffman's mouth snapped shut. She grabbed her satchel from where she'd dropped it earlier. One of the large guards held her coat out but instead of sliding it on she yanked it from his hands. The second guard opened the door. She stormed past him without comment.
"Roffman?" The small woman called after her then waited for the woman to stop and turn back. "Have a nice day." She smiled with a little finger wave as the tall man closed the door.
The young officer approached the woman with a tip of his hat. "Well played, ma'am. I'll see she gets where she needs to be." He slipped out the door as the large guard opened it again and then stepped out with his partner and pulled it closed.
The two large men stood at attention until. They stepped into the hall at the small woman's a curt nod then positioned themselves on either side of the door.
The woman turned back to William and Celia. She stood staring at them until William broke the silence.
"How did you…" he began still in amazed, but grateful shock.
"I still have many influential friends, William." The woman spoke in an angry tone. "Did you think I would not know?"
The man shook his head and smiled. "There are many times when I doubt you know I still wake every morning. But there is never a time you are not aware of what is happening in this apartment."
Celia wasn't sure if the soft sound that came from the woman was a laugh or a sigh. She was still speechless over the situation.
xx
The SUV May drove squealed into the parking lot. She was out and across the parking lot before the engine quieted. Forgoing the elevator she took the stairs two at a time bursting into the lobby just as Veronica Roffman stormed out of the elevator and across the foyer. May dove into the lift as the door closed, ignoring the irate woman that had just exited and the young policeman that followed her.
She paced across the small area for the thirty seconds it took to reach the third floor. Slipping out as soon as the door separated, she froze at the sight of the two muscular guards framing her front door. For a moment her heart stopped until she slowly recognized the scene, drew a deep breath and marched forward nodding to each man as she pushed the door open and stormed inside.
xx
William stood and headed for the stove. He lifted the kettle, filled it and set it to boil then turned to the woman still standing in the doorway. "I am sure you will not object to a cup of tea after such an ordeal."
The woman gave a polite nod. "Of course not."
Celia as appalled by the current situation as she was the last. She could not believe William's behavior. She stood, totally frustrated. "William," she loudly whispered. "Who is this woman?" She widened her eyes and turned down the corners of her mouth.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I apologize, Celia. This is…"
"Where is she?" The other woman seemed to demand as she moved across the kitchen toward the hallway. She turned to William. "Don't you think it's time I met my…"
May rounded the foyer and stopped in the kitchen doorway taking in the scene before her.
"My wife"
"My granddaughter"
"Mother?"
All three spoke at the same time causing everyone to exchange glances.
"Where is Skye?" Melinda demanded pushing past all of them as she headed down the hallway and stopped at the little girl's door surprised to find it locked tightly.
Lian May was a step behind. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "Smart thinking," she nodded at the door, "teaching her about the safe space."
May frowned. She'd really never mentioned anything to Skye about the door or the lock. There was never a reason to tell her…well, not yet anyway. Lian stepped next to her daughter and nodded toward the knob.
"Shìfàng suǒ," both women spoke together then stepped back and glared at each other.
"You know?" Lian smiled.
Melinda rolled her eyes. "Do you remember when I was fourteen, mother?"
"Do you?" Lian countered.
"I thought you said it had never been locked." Celia whispered to William. They both stood in the hall doorway. William shook his head. He had no recollection of this incident.
Melinda stared at her mother for a moment then turned the knob on the door. They entered together.
"Skye?" Melinda smiled. "It's okay Skye. I'm here." She looked behind the door half expecting to find the little girl there.
Lian crossed to the closet and opened the double doors. Celia did the same at the bathroom. William shook his head.
"It is likely she has retreated to the underside of the bed. She has been using it as a sanctuary." He smiled, moving to stand next to the mattress. "Come sunnu. The case woman has left. She will not return." He waited a moment then coaxed again while the others watched.
"You could just move the bed," Lian pointed out, wondering why no one had done so.
William stooped to lift the footboard. Melinda laid a hand on his arm. "No, baba don't. She isn't there."
"I am sure…" William smiled then looked to where his daughter stared. One window was opened just enough to let in a breath of cold air.
"Damn," May breathed.
xx
"The woman was adamant. She was so intent on taking Skye, I think she could have chewed through that door." Celia added to the explanation of the situation William made to May. Celia added the fact the child had contracted the Chicken Pox and that could have been the issue with the irritability and fever the days before May went away. They took turns explaining the arrival of Veronica Roffman and her overzealous attempt to remove Skye from their home.
It was a rushed explanation as May debated where to look for the little girl first and Lian dealt orders to her centurions.
The two guards had been dispatched to search for the child who could not have gone far in the short amount of time. William insisted on looking as well and hoped the little girl had merely climbed out on to the fire escape to get away from the arguing. He made his way to the area where the metal ladder pulled down near the rear dumpsters and peered up into the grating above. He called Skye's name several times. There was no need to pull down the ladder and climb the three stories, Melinda had already gone out the bedroom window and searched the icy metal grate on that floor and those below. There was no trace of the child.
Celia dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex. She felt responsible. She had sent the child to her room. William assured her it was the right thing to do. If Skye had not locked herself away that woman would have taken her before Lian arrived to dispel her. Celia tried to let herself believe that but was overwhelmed by guilt. She apologized to May repeatedly.
Lian made several calls, mobilizing every agency and calling in every favor in order to find the child. She assured William and the still sobbing Mrs. Gibbons that she would keep in touch and left to join the teams she had organized. She looked to find Melinda knowing her daughter would not rest until the child was found.
No one had seen her leave.
xx
The door to Veronica Roffman's office slammed open with such force the beveled glass shattered to the floor. The woman stood back from her desk, aghast at the entrance of yet another angry Asian woman.
She arrived back at her office an hour ago and spent most of that time being read the riot act by the administrator. It was true she was being transferred to some small office in a nowhere town in the middle of nowhere Maryland. She picked up the forms on her desk finalizing the adoption of Skye Qiaolian May, formerly Mary Sue Poots, by Melinda Qiaolian May effective immediately. She stared at the signature at the bottom of the page and still refused to believe a Supreme Court Justice could even finalize this procedure. The administrator assured her it was legal and binding just like the transfer. She had three days to clean out her office and was relieved of duty immediately. All of her cases had already been assigned to other workers.
She barely had time to digest it all when this crazed new woman smashed into her office.
"What do you want?" She demanded, uselessly trying to hide her fear. She kept the desk between her and the seething woman.
May rammed her palms into the opposite end of that desk pushing it into the woman until she was wedged between it and the wall behind her. It was then she noticed a framed photo that wobbled on the shaking desk. The resemblance of the two women in the photo was uncanny. She leaned over and snatched it, stared at it for a moment then slammed it to the desk. A crack spider webbed across the glass.
"That's why?" She growled, pointing at the photo. "You go after an eight year old kid to revenge that bitch?" May spat. "I can't decide which of you is worse but neither should be near any child." She shoved the desk again.
Roffman pushed back against the desk that now pressed against her thighs. "She's my sister." She huffed. "You and that little brat almost destroyed her."
"She destroyed herself." May growled through her teeth. "She's lucky she's not sitting in prison after what she did." She paused and drew a ragged breath. "She's luck I didn't break her in half. You might not be." It wasn't a threat…not even a promise…but definitely a possibility.
"That child is nothing but trouble and Regina knew it." Roffman shot back. "She did what she had to do to put that little delinquent on the right path."
May pushed the desk harder. "That woman hid behind a habit to beat her, threaten her and terrify her! She still has nightmares. That is putting her on the right path?" She pushed the desk tighter and raised her voice, something May almost never did. "I should have done the same to her. And now you decide to finish the job." She smiled evilly. "Well, you've given me the same opportunity."
Veronica pressed herself closer to the wall trying to keep the desk from snapping her femurs. "I had no intention of hurting the child." She attempted to explain.
"No intention?" May spat. "She is sick, terrified little girl. You come into my house and you threaten her and her grandfather and you threaten to take her from the only place she feels safe and have the gall to even try to hand me you don't intend to hurt her?" She butted the desk closer with each forced word, eliciting a squeak from the woman with each. "I should break you in half." May snarled through her teeth. She drew a deep breath, stood back and smiled. "I certainly don't intend to but I really should." She hit the desk again. This time a tear rolled over Roffman's cheek.
"Please," the woman begged. Her voice was suddenly small and frightened.
May wrapped her hands around the edge of the desk and braced herself. She pushed slowly, crushing the woman against the wall, ignoring the whimpering.
"Melinda!" Lian's firm voice came from behind. "Don't undo all you've already done for the child. This will take you away and negate everything. Everything you've done, everything I've done, everything Skye needs."
"Nobody…hurts…my…kid." May snarled through her teeth, bumping the desk with each word.
Lian laid a hand on Melinda's shoulder and spoke softly. "And no one hurts mine. Not even herself…it's time to stop."
Melinda pursed her lips and drew a breath through her nose. She glared at Roffman for a moment then slammed her hands on the desk and backed away with her palms raised to her shoulders. She turned and stormed out of the room without looking back.
"This is over." Lian stated glaring into Roffman's eyes. She did not blink but turned and followed her daughter out of the building.
Roffman let out a relieved breath, pushed the desk away then slid to the floor.
xx
Melinda burst through the double glass door and stopped at the curb outside of the tall building. She paced back and forth letting out heavy breaths that hung in the cold December air. Her heart raced as if she had run a marathon. She struggled to pull her calm back into place. The frigid air felt good against the burning anger threatening to overtake her a second time.
"That was a stupid move, Melinda." Lian's frustrated voice scolded. She stood back against the building watching her daughter's attempt to defuse.
Melinda glanced at her mother with venom as she ceased pacing. She turned in one direction and then the other, drawing deeper breaths then bent forward resting her palms on her knees. She stared at her mother and drew several more breaths still unable to speak.
"Putting that idiot through the wall might have given you satisfaction but would have served only to make things worse." Lian verbally chastised her only child.
Melinda stood, arched her back and shook her hands at her sides. She took a few steps then turned back, speaking to her mother without making eye contact. "Don't lecture me, mother. Not now."
Lian shook her head. "No, it's not time for lectures or retribution. There is a little girl out there waiting for you to find her." She watched as Melinda's demeanor changed. Her daughter lost her anger and resumed her need to do just that. Lian drew a breath and stepped forward. "I have my best looking for her and yet no one has found a lead. How could a small child disappear without anyone noticing?"
Melinda scoffed then almost smiled for the first time. "You don't know Skye." She still refused to look into her mother's eyes.
"I am hoping to change that." Lian stated with a hint of regret. "I wondered why my daughter would keep such a secret."
"It wasn't a secret, mother." Melinda let out a breath over her lip. "I just didn't know how to tell you and…"
"You thought I would disapprove?" Lian raised one eyebrow. Melinda continued staring down the busy street. She offered no response. "I don't see it as the wisest thing you've ever done, but I do understand." Lian acknowledged.
"Should have figured you'd find out…you always did." Melinda breathed.
"And now you will learn how a mother knows these things," Lian smiled that same invisible smile her daughter had mastered.
Melinda shook her head. "I'm not doing such a good job so far."
"There's no Academy training for this job, Melinda. No matter how many missions you go on things will never be the same twice." Lian pursed her lips and shook her head. "You will never be perfect."
Melinda looked ahead and huffed at laugh at her mother's analogy. She was certain she would be very fond of her granddaughter and just as certain Skye would be terrified of her grandmother. Well, at least until she got to know her. Lian was a tough nut to crack but Skye was an excellent nut cracker.
"Children don't just disappear." Lian stated. "Just like anyone else they usually have a place to go. She will be where you expect to find her. She has your heart and from what I have seen you have hers."
Melinda shook her head. "I don't know, mother. There's no place…no place she'd want me to go…she'd never go back to St. Agnes. She…" for a moment the woman thought of the little girl's behavior in times of stress. Skye was slow to open up about anything. She didn't share a lot of secrets and what Melinda knew of the tragedies the child survived came out as memories or comments Skye made as if they were just run of the mill experiences. If she felt May was upset or angry she would disappear into her room. Twice May found her squeezed into the back of the closet and once tucked behind the bathroom door. She hadn't been angry with the child, just upset by some nonsense Fury had dropped in her lap or screw up someone had made at her office. They'd already checked all of those places and it was apparent Skye had skipped right to the big guns…out the window on that damn fire escape just like the first time…the first time she'd run and May warned her of the consequence of doing it again.
Melinda looked toward the setting sun and shivered at the drop in temperature. Skye was out there somewhere. She was sick and scared. The woman finally turned toward her mother and drew a deep breath. For once in her life she had no idea where to start or which way to turn. "She…" Melinda began then stopped at the sound of church bells tolling in the distance. It was something May heard twice daily without noticing. It had become nothing more than background noise to her but now it struck a different chord and woke a memory she had almost lost.
"What is it?" Lian recognized the new concern in her daughter's actions. But Melinda had already turned away and was running before she spoke, before Lian had called to her.
"I know where she is."
It was the last the older woman heard as she watched her daughter disappeared down the street.
xx
Skye pulled her hood closer, trying to cover most of her face then shoved both hands in her pockets and slipped around the crowd of people heading in the opposite direction. She made her way between the group that chatted on the concrete stairs and a second gathered in the large foyer. Before anyone noticed her, she squeezed into the slight opening of a side door and tiptoed up the carpeted staircase. She stopped on the top step listening to the murmur of the voices below and the hum of the silence above.
Skye stood still, listening as the muffled conversations below drifted away on promises of see you soon and enjoy your evening. The heavy doors closed with a hollow echo and the bright overhead lights extinguished slowly, one at a time. The soft electric hum dissolved into the clicky silence of an old building. Footsteps below echoed in the large high domed room and the sound of a smaller door closing let her know she was now alone in the semi-darkness.
Skye wasn't afraid. She was familiar with the sounds and smells of this quiet place. The many candles burning in metal frames below the loft she occupied cast a shimmer of light across the wide space. The slight hint of incense hung in the air. The little girl breathed it in like a whiff of relaxation. For the first time since she'd lost her May she felt the tension release. She moved slowly through the row of seats to the large keyboard and lightly brushed her fingers over the keys. It wouldn't make a sound, not now when it was turned off. Skye looked up at the long brass pipes and almost giggled at the way the openings looked so much like grouchy mouths yawning in the shadowy light.
There were two short steps that led to a landing she followed to the back of the pipes where she knew there would be just enough space for a kid to squeeze into. She'd be safe here because one of the big kids told them once that churches had to give you sank to airy. That meant nobody could take you out or make you leave unless you wanted to go. The big kid said it was a law and churches couldn't break the law. Cuz it would make God real mad. Not even case ladies could do it cuz they had to listen to God just like everybody else. Even if God couldn't bring May back he could keep that mean lady away from his very own house. Sr. Stephanie told her nothing could hurt her in God's house.
Skye hoped nuns didn't lie.
The little girl pushed her hood from her head ignoring the pain that was growing right above her nose. It was probably from being so cold and breathing winter air. Every time she sniffed in, the pain hurt more. A hoodie wasn't the best choice for walking all the way to St. Matthew's and she really should have put on socks before shoving her feet into two different boots, but it was an emergency. Skye dropped to her knees and crawled between the boxes and crates stored behind the organ pipes. Someone had covered most of the storage stuff with a heavy cloth. The little girl pulled it over her and gave in to the exhaustion of her trauma.
xx
May screeched the agency's SUV into her parking space for the second time. She slammed the door and headed for the ramp that lead back to the sidewalk. She turned and ran the three blocks to the closest church to her apartment building. She stood at the base of the concrete stairs and waited until her breathing regulated. She looked up at the stained glass windows, dark in the early December evening. She took the steps two at a time and frowned when the large wooden doors resisted her attempt to open them. As a child she remembered churches begin open to anyone needing refuge. In elementary school she had a friend that stopped in the church everyday on their walk home, not to kneel or pray or even just say hello but to use the rest room in the basement. But times had changed and even houses of worship were locked tight after hours.
It would do her no good to kick in a church door, to pick a lock or break a window. Melinda wasn't a religious person and until that kid wriggling into her heart she wasn't even sure she believed in any deity. The large house next to the church was well lit. She moved back down the stairs and across the front lawn to knock instead.
The priest was not a very old man but he wasn't young. He was however, understanding. She explained why she felt her child might be hiding in his church. She briefly gave him the story of Skye's life at St. Agnes and how a friend, a deaf boy called Hiram, had shown her a quiet place to find peace and safety. The man smiled and walked with her to the large doors that he opened with an old skeleton key. She asked that he wait outside, afraid that Skye would fear the man she would not recognize. He smiled and gave a nod before offering a blessing and a prayer that the child was indeed somewhere in the large church.
xx
Melinda stepped into the dark foyer and carefully crossed to the double doors to the sanctuary. The large area was lit with two metal frames filled with large red glass candle holders. Most were flickering with small flames while others were dark. She listened to the soft gurgle of water from the marble fountain just inside the door and stared up at the darkened altar lit by a lone candle. The shadowy forms of statues and eerily light faces on the windows made her wonder why any child would feel safe in such a creepy place. The answer was simple. Skye was not any child.
There had to be at least thirty rows of wooden pews between the doors and the altar but May knew she would not have to peer under each. She smiled and turned back to the foyer, searching for the door that would lead to the choir loft above. It was not difficult to find.
Melinda May had the ability to move with the stealth of a leopard, silently taking out opponents in complete silence. She could be in and out before the enemy knew what hit them. But Skye was not the enemy. She was a frightened, sick little girl who needed her mother. Lian had said the child was waiting for May to find her but in truth Skye had no idea May had returned. After everything that had happened in the past few days she probably felt May would never return.
Melinda May made sure she could be heard.
She reached the top step and looked out over the wide sanctuary. The view from this angle gave a different perspective on the church. It looked so much smaller, so much less threatening as the candles twinkled like stars and reflected off the large light covers on the ceiling. It gave the resemblance of thousands of fireflies. The windows were mere dark panels from this angle, shimmering their dark hues the way oil does on a puddled blacktop. From here it was almost magical.
May walked across the front of the loft peering down at the fountain over the brass railing. The water bubbled up through a spout in the center then poured over a ledge down into a larger marble basin. The sound was calming and pastoral. She moved to the large organ set against the far wall and stepped around it, carefully peering under at the large wooden pedals. There was certainly enough space for a small, scared, little girl to hide but the space was empty.
From that spot May could easier peer between the two rows of chairs used by the people who made up the music ministry of this parish. She could see binders, books and plenty of sheet music but no small child. She stepped up onto the ledge and walked behind the frame of organ pipes spying the many crates and boxes stored there. Apparently the pipes had long ago been part of the sound but served as a façade for the large speakers set against them. She grinned at the ingenuity as she moved to the opening on the opposite side ending up where she had climbed the stairs. Two long pews filled in the space to the left of those steps. May stooped to look under both and found nothing but cobwebs and dust bunnies. She moved to the top of the staircase and drummed her fingers on the ledge above it.
Letting out a sigh, May closed her eyes and second guessed her hunch. There were plenty of churches in the area. This was the closest. It was cold and Baba had not noticed any of Skye's jackets missing but pointed out two different boots had gone from the closet. How far could a cold, sick kid get? It was five blocks to the next church and she wasn't sure the next pastor would be as cooperative as this one had been.
xx
Skye had pulled herself well behind the big boxes inside the pipes and used the big blanket thing to cover her whole body. She slept for a bit but woke up when she heard someone on the stairs. The little girl knew how to be deathly quiet. It was a skill she'd needed on more than one occasion. Angry foster people and nuns with wooden spoons or big paddles could really make you hurt. Big kids that pushed you around could too. Learning to be real still and real quiet was an asset at St. Agnes. So Skye froze and took teeny tiny breaths that no one would hear.
The person was real quiet at first then walked across the loft by the bars yer not spose ta touch. Skye counted the steps on the shiny wooden floor. She heard the person swipe their hand on the organ keys cuz they clicked when they didn't make music. Maybe it was the organ lady coming to practice. Maybe she should stick her fingers in her ears cuz it would be loud inside the pipe things, but if she moved somebody might hear so she stayed real still. Then she heard the person walk right behind the box where she was hiding and stop right there. She could hear them breathing and for a minute thought maybe they were lookin' right at her, but they kept going and did something by the old benches on the side. Skye almost breathed loud when she heard them get to the steps again, tapping their fingers real fast.
Then the person made a noise a soft noise and Skye couldn't help the noise that escaped her a moment later.
xx
May put held one foot over the first step and stopped at the soft sound from behind. She quietly pulled her foot back and stood dead still until she detected the almost silent sound of breathing…very soft breathing but definitely someone…someone very small taking very short little breaths. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized that little bit of a sigh quiet as one of the flickering candles.
She turned back moving to the first pew and sat on the edge remaining still and silent. The soft rustling from behind the pipes confirmed her suspicions. May cleared her throat with a bit of exaggeration. The rustling halted. She smiled with relief then looked toward the altar far below.
"God?" May spoke in a bit more than a whisper. "I've lost something that means the world to me. I'm pretty sure it was my fault." She paused at the small gasp. "My little girl climbed down that fire escape again, God. Even after she promised me she'd never do it again. We even shook on it, made it a done deal."
May shook her head remembering the first time Skye had climbed that slippery wet death trap. Well technically it was meant to save you from death, but nevertheless it was a pretty dangerous stunt for a little kid…in the middle of a thunder storm…in the dark. She remembered how it brought a knot to her stomach about a second before she had to stomp out her fury. That damn kid could have been killed then and even more so now in the snow and the ice with a fever and no coat.
The woman drew a quick breath through her teeth.
Skye's heart soared at the sound of May's voice even if it was a kinda little bit mad but not really. She fought to pull her feet from the blanket, finally kicking off the boots in order to be free. She pushed the heavy quilted tarp and crept out of her hiding place. She let out a huff, stood and brushed the hair from her eyes.
"May," she breathed once as the woman turned to face her. A second later she was wrapped around May sobbing apologies and 'I missed you so much' and 'I'm so glad you're here' and a lot more that was totally not understood.
May wrapped the little girl in her arms, kissing the top of her head and almost giddy over the little girl's babbling. She rocked and cuddled her assuring her that everything would be alright. She was back and had no intention of leaving her any time soon and apologizing for leaving in the firs place.
After a few minutes the reunion paused. May drew a deep breath and held Skye close, just listening to her sniffle and breathe against her chest. "Hey, kid, let me look at you." She sniffled herself as she gently eased the little girl back. May drew back a soft sob and smiled at the little girl. "Look at all these spots. You look like that little polka dot elephant on the Island of Misfit Toys."
Skye crinkled her nose, confused by the odd comment then stuck out her eyes and pinched her nose. "I gots Chicken pots, May. They make me be an elephant?" The little girl squeaked.
May couldn't help laugh. She kissed the tip of the child's nose and pulled her into another hug. "No, baobei, you aren't an elephant, just my Skye, my beautiful polka dot Skye." She held the little girl's face in her hands and kissed her forehead then hugged her again. "Oh, baobei you are so warm. We need to get you home."
May set the little girl on her bare feet and gave a mock pout at Skye's look. The little girl stared at the floor almost refusing to meet May's gaze. Placing a finger under the child's chin, May raised her head but Skye squeezed her eyes shut tightly and shook her head.
"Skye?" Melinda took the child's hands in her own.
Skye swallowed hard and shook her head again. "You gonna deal me now?"
Melinda narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. "Deal you?"
"Uh huh," Skye nodded as her eyes opened. "I dint go down the fire scape." She shook her head. "I climbed up the roof and then in the evalater to the gradge."
May took the girl by the shoulders. "You climbed all the way up there in the ice and snow? What the hell, Skye?" The look on the little girl's face immediately made her regret her tone. She let out a breath and sat back against the long bench, pulling Skye to sit next to her. It took a few seconds for her to squash her anger at this crazy kid's moxie.
Skye remained still, cuddled against May's side. She peeked up from the half hug that held her in place. "Ya said I gotta deal with you if I did it again." Melinda looked down at the little girl, trying to remember that conversation. "That mean yer gonna hit me now?" Skye's voice was small.
May blew a puffy breath and shook her head. "No, kid, I am not going to hit you. I thought we were past that."
Skye wriggled a bit then shrugged her shoulders. "You said…"
May tugged the little girl to stand in front of her. "I believe I said if you got any crazy ideas you'd have to deal with me. Right?"
Skye nodded to the floor then looked up over her brows. "I broke the promise."
"Yep, you did." May nodded. "And yep, you and I will have to deal with that but right now we are going to find your shoes because I really, really hope you did not climb that damn escape and walk all the way here in your bare feet."
xx
The priest met May as she carried her child from the church. She called her home and spoke to Mrs. Gibbons who had stayed so someone would be there should Skye came home on her own. The woman hurried to send her car to pick them up and within the hour both were home and everyone else had been informed the little girl had been found.
Melinda was disappointed that Lian had taken the message that Skye was found and safe but had not returned to the apartment. Once again the woman had disappeared on some duty she could not put off, or at least that was the excuse the gentleman on the other end of the line told her. There was no time to fret about it or churn up old hurts. May had a child and she needed all of her attention.
Skye temperature had crept back to over one hundred three which meant a tepid bath and a dose of fever reducer before William insisted on a warm cup of tea and Celia covered her with that stuff that took away the itch. May watched so she could do it the next time.
William lectured the little girl for some time about how dangerous her actions had been and how she had worried so many people. She hung her head and apologized before he gathered her into his arms and held her until May had showered and changed. Celia said her goodnights and instructed Melinda on the dosage of Benadryl Skye would need before bed.
Skye rubbed her eyes and yawned as she reached for May, sighing as she laid her head on Melinda's shoulder. May kissed her speckled cheek and swayed side to side in motherly rhythm. William stood and kissed his daughter's cheek then did the same on his granddaughter's head. He would sleep well this night knowing both were safe and home…home to stay.
Melinda tucked Skye into bed then climbed in beside her. There was no way this little one was sleeping across the apartment. No, she'd keep her right in her bed, right by her side. The woman turned off the light and pulled the covers over her self. She rested her head on her pillow and smiled as the sleepy little girl immediately curled up against her. She pulled Skye into a head and nestled against her, closing her eyes.
"Mommy," the little girl sighed as she hugged the arm that wrapped around her.