Chapter 5 - THE GIRL WHO COUNTED THE WINDOWS
Maisie had survived by noticing things.
She knew how many steps led from the kitchen to the back door.
How long the generator ran before someone refilled it.
Which men carried keys.
Which doors locked from the outside.
And which windows faced the water.
She had learned because her mother taught her.
“Remember details,” Hannah whispered. “Details can help us get home.”
Now Maisie sat with a child-interview specialist named Dr. Priya Nair.
Lauren remained nearby, visible through the observation window.
Nair placed paper and colored pencils on the table.
“You can draw anything you remember.”
Maisie chose blue.
She drew water.
A long building.
Three windows.
Then a red tower.
Nair watched quietly.
“What's the tower?”
Maisie shrugged.
“It blinks.”
“Like a lighthouse?”
Maisie nodded.
“Sometimes.”
She added a narrow road.
A fence.
A boat.
Then a little square near the water.
“What is that?” Nair asked.
Maisie stared.
“The place where the men put boxes.”
The drawing was given to investigators.
They compared it with coastal properties associated with Harborline.
One location stood out.
An abandoned marine research station near Tangier Sound.
It had three upper windows.
A red navigation light.
And a loading platform beside the water.
Agent Shaw studied the map.
“We need a warrant.”
Meanwhile, Lauren returned to Benji's bedside.
His condition had stabilized somewhat.
He remained under close monitoring, but the medical team was cautiously encouraged by his response to treatment.
Maisie sat beside him.
“Do babies remember things?” she asked.
Lauren smiled.
“Some things.”
“Will he remember the bad house?”
Lauren hesitated.
“Maybe not in the way you do.”
Maisie looked down.
“Good.”
Lauren sat beside her.
“Maisie, you did something very brave.”
The child shook her head.
“I was scared.”
“Brave doesn't mean you weren't scared.”
Maisie considered that.
Then whispered:
“I thought you'd be mad.”
Lauren stared.
“Why?”
“Because I lost the gloves once.”
Lauren looked at the yellow rubber gloves resting on the chair.
“You found them again.”
Maisie nodded.
“Mommy kept them in a box.”
Lauren swallowed.
“Did she tell you why?”
Maisie smiled faintly.
“She said they were the way back to you.”
Lauren's eyes filled.
That evening, federal investigators arrived at the marine station.
The property appeared abandoned.
But inside, they found recent food containers.
Children's clothing.
Medical supplies.
And a locked room with drawings taped to the wall.
One drawing showed a woman holding two children.
Above it, in uneven letters:
MOMMY COMES BACK.
Agent Shaw stared at the drawing.
Then noticed something beneath it.
A small message scratched into the wall.
H.R. – TRANSFER FRIDAY.
She looked at her watch.
Thursday.
11:58 p.m.
May you like
They had less than two minutes until Friday.
And somewhere nearby, Hannah Rowan might still be alive.
