Elena was a tireless worker who often looked exhausted, mainly because she was also caring for a young girl named Daisy whom she claimed was a distant relative. Daisy was a quiet child who spent her days observing the house with wide, inquisitive eyes while her aunt worked in the laundry room.
The little girl didn’t play with toys or make noise, but she began to pay very close attention to the kitchen whenever Bridget thought she was alone. Daisy watched through the crack in the door as Bridget opened a locked metal box and added several drops from a small amber vial into the juice.
Children often perceive things that adults have conditioned themselves to ignore, and Daisy felt a cold shiver of dread every time she saw that secret ritual. She didn’t understand the chemistry of what was happening, but she knew deep in her soul that the man in the wheelchair was in grave danger.
One afternoon, Daisy stood quietly in the hallway while Miles sat by the window staring out at the lake with an expression of profound sadness. When Miles finally noticed her and looked up, their eyes met in a way that made his heart skip a beat for a reason he could not explain.