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Authors: Rebekah Blackmore
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Miss Fletcher, you must remain as stil l as you possibly can over the next few days to allow the sutures to set. Given you do that, you shall be right as rain before the week is out.”
Gia watched Solomon work, letting the words sink in. She nodded her affirmation. “How long have I been here, then?” She began to take another sip of water as Solomon walked back over to table and washed his hands in the basin there before returning back to the chair next to the bed. He sat down, leaning forward so that his elbows were placed on the edge of the bed, his forearms crossing over one another.
Solomon began to think, counting the time out on his fingers, “Well, you arrived here around December 18 th , so you have been here for just over three months.”
Gia spat her water out onto the bed in shock. Solomon grimaced when some landed on his hand. He sat back in the chair, wiping his hand on his handkerchief before straightening his cravat and clearing his throat while Gia exclaimed, “Three months?”
Solomon nodded, still leaning back. Gia looked at him apologetically. “Yes, ma’am.”
The confirmation caused Gia to begin to tremble lightly. Her first three months of freedom, and she had missed it! Granted, she thought, had this man not taken care of me, I would be dead. My only earthly freedom would be that my body could be tossed wherever the city pleased, provided that my corpse was not eating by some sort of animal first. She shook her head, trying to think positively. She had to know, though, what the man believed happened to her. So far, it did not appear that the man had realized that she was partly responsible for Simona Dickens, or any of the other girls her sisters had reported, being kidnapped. Then again, there was always the chance that Isaiah and his men were caught before they made their way out of town. “W-what happened t-to me?”
Solomon looked down, his shoulders beginning to hunch. “There were many tragedies in this town the eve you took ill. We lost ten of our own that night. Two brought back to us, two still missing, six deceased. It would have been seven, had Oscar not found you when he did.” Solomon shook his head before looking back up at Gia. “I believe, Miss Fletcher, that you were caught in the crossfire. There was a man, or more likely a group of men, that made his way through the town that night and kidnapped several young women, all around the ages of twelve to fourteen. Six girls were taken.”
Gia thought back to the beginning of Solomon’s statement, keeping counts of the numbers in her mind. “If only six girls were taken, who were the deaths? Were all the girls killed?” She began to feel sick to her stomach.
Solomon shook his head. “Out of the girls, there are only two whose deaths have been confirmed. The other four were men in the town. No one saw these men die but, because their bodies were found in the same woods as yours was, I assume that they were trying to stop the kidnapper from taking the girls, and were murdered in the process.” He sighed. “The girls… they were badly mutilated, and were sent back as a warning of what would happen if we sent authorities out to search the surrounding towns and woods for other four.”
Gia looked at Solomon in genuine confusion. “Why a warning? Could it not be that the girls had been killed for a different reason?”
“That is possible,” Solomon admitted, “but the families of the remaining two girls are not willing to risk it. There are some smaller search parties still going out but, after all this time, the only ones who continuing to look would be the girls’ fathers and brothers.”
Gia nodded. She could only imagine what the men would do to the girls that fought back or tried to run. Leander was cruel, but those men seemed even more terrifying than her dark-haired father could ever be. “What about the two girls that were released?”
“Ah, yes, Misses Lacey and Nettie Summers. They were not released
Gia watched Solomon work, letting the words sink in. She nodded her affirmation. “How long have I been here, then?” She began to take another sip of water as Solomon walked back over to table and washed his hands in the basin there before returning back to the chair next to the bed. He sat down, leaning forward so that his elbows were placed on the edge of the bed, his forearms crossing over one another.
Solomon began to think, counting the time out on his fingers, “Well, you arrived here around December 18 th , so you have been here for just over three months.”
Gia spat her water out onto the bed in shock. Solomon grimaced when some landed on his hand. He sat back in the chair, wiping his hand on his handkerchief before straightening his cravat and clearing his throat while Gia exclaimed, “Three months?”
Solomon nodded, still leaning back. Gia looked at him apologetically. “Yes, ma’am.”
The confirmation caused Gia to begin to tremble lightly. Her first three months of freedom, and she had missed it! Granted, she thought, had this man not taken care of me, I would be dead. My only earthly freedom would be that my body could be tossed wherever the city pleased, provided that my corpse was not eating by some sort of animal first. She shook her head, trying to think positively. She had to know, though, what the man believed happened to her. So far, it did not appear that the man had realized that she was partly responsible for Simona Dickens, or any of the other girls her sisters had reported, being kidnapped. Then again, there was always the chance that Isaiah and his men were caught before they made their way out of town. “W-what happened t-to me?”
Solomon looked down, his shoulders beginning to hunch. “There were many tragedies in this town the eve you took ill. We lost ten of our own that night. Two brought back to us, two still missing, six deceased. It would have been seven, had Oscar not found you when he did.” Solomon shook his head before looking back up at Gia. “I believe, Miss Fletcher, that you were caught in the crossfire. There was a man, or more likely a group of men, that made his way through the town that night and kidnapped several young women, all around the ages of twelve to fourteen. Six girls were taken.”
Gia thought back to the beginning of Solomon’s statement, keeping counts of the numbers in her mind. “If only six girls were taken, who were the deaths? Were all the girls killed?” She began to feel sick to her stomach.
Solomon shook his head. “Out of the girls, there are only two whose deaths have been confirmed. The other four were men in the town. No one saw these men die but, because their bodies were found in the same woods as yours was, I assume that they were trying to stop the kidnapper from taking the girls, and were murdered in the process.” He sighed. “The girls… they were badly mutilated, and were sent back as a warning of what would happen if we sent authorities out to search the surrounding towns and woods for other four.”
Gia looked at Solomon in genuine confusion. “Why a warning? Could it not be that the girls had been killed for a different reason?”
“That is possible,” Solomon admitted, “but the families of the remaining two girls are not willing to risk it. There are some smaller search parties still going out but, after all this time, the only ones who continuing to look would be the girls’ fathers and brothers.”
Gia nodded. She could only imagine what the men would do to the girls that fought back or tried to run. Leander was cruel, but those men seemed even more terrifying than her dark-haired father could ever be. “What about the two girls that were released?”
“Ah, yes, Misses Lacey and Nettie Summers. They were not released
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