Orla Leary lifted her teacup to her lips and, blowing on it lightly, took a small sip. A notebook with a pen and a phone lay on the table. Molly was busy in the kitchen with a pie. Renovation work was still ongoing in the house, but she had chosen to move in earlier than planned. The reason was Angela.

  “So you’re saying she has started eating?” Orla returned to the conversation when Molly placed a carrot pie in front of her and sat down.

  “Yesterday I brought her spinach soup,” Molly said. “She ate it with real appetite.”

  Since Molly had established contact with the girl, it had been decided that no one else would be allowed into the basement. Neither Detective O’Halloran nor Orla had gone down there. Dr. Leary came every day to ask Molly how things were going. Throughout the week, Molly described the changes she noticed in Angela. She had arranged a clean mattress with a pillow and a blanket. Angela did not accept them at first, but two days later Molly found her sleeping on the new bed.

  As for Shane, he was waiting for the girl to be brought out of the basement so he could examine it and continue the investigation. He had asked Molly not to change anything or throw anything away. It was necessary to establish the victim’s identity, as she did not speak, although according to Molly she understood everything perfectly. She answered questions with nods, and if Angela disliked something or did not want to do it, she simply turned away or left.

  “It’s been seven days,” Orla said. “Have you tried inviting her into the house?”

  Molly gestured toward the pie, and the doctor nodded politely.

  “When Angela ate the spinach soup, I told her I had more upstairs,” Molly said. “There was no reaction, so I abandoned the idea. You told me yourself not to push her.”

  “Of course not,” Orla replied. “But with your gentleness, something may be possible. Angela trusts you. The fact that she accepted the name and eats from your dishes already says a great deal. She sees you as a protector.”

  “Oh…” Molly’s face grew sad. “Who could have done this to her? Poor girl, living down there for who knows how long. Do you think she will ever speak?”

  Orla answered honestly.

  “She most likely has aphasia.”

  “Oh, Doctor, please use simple words,” Molly said. “I don’t understand these things.”

  Orla smiled faintly, then took a dessert spoon and began eating the pie. Molly’s baking was excellent; it was hard to refuse. Orla had been plump in her school years and had worked hard to lose weight, so she treated sweets cautiously. This time, she allowed herself a small exception so as not to offend her hostess.

  “Aphasia is a localized absence or disturbance of already formed speech,” Orla explained. “Hearing remains intact. The person understands everything and may even be able to write, but cannot speak. The cause can be anything. An examination is necessary. The girl may have suffered a head injury or have a mental disorder, unless…” She paused. “But let’s not think about the worst yet.”

  “She doesn’t seem ill,” Molly said. “Yes, she’s exhausted and smells awful, but she’s intelligent. Her eyes are so… aware. She isn’t insane. No.”

  “I’m not saying she is,” Leary replied politely, looking toward the roof of the outbuilding. The greenhouse offered a beautiful view. Once the garden was restored and flowers bloomed in different colors, the place would feel like paradise. Orla lifted her teacup again. “The sooner we get her out of there, the sooner we’ll know whether she’s healthy.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  That same evening, Molly prepared clean water to take down to Angela. She suspected the girl had previously been drinking from the tap installed in the basement for washing crates and vegetables. But when Shane had requested a sample for testing, Molly had brought up a yellowish liquid with an unpleasant smell. Drinking such water was dangerous. Anxiety for the girl’s health settled once more in Molly’s heart. She began bringing filtered water every day and made sure Angela drank every last drop.

  “Mom?” Molly heard her son’s voice and stepped onto the porch.

  “Joshua? I wasn’t expecting you today,” she said, smiling broadly and kissing him on both cheeks. “Your father said you had an event in town.”

  “It was canceled, so I decided to visit you,” Joshua said. He entered the house, hung his hat on a hook, and surveyed the hall. “The panels look great. I told you decorative gypsum panels were a solid choice that works well with a classic interior. Look how rich the walls appear.”

  “I agree, sweetheart,” Molly said, wrapping an arm around him as they examined the finish together. “I’m very glad your company provides such good materials. Are you hungry?”

  “Just a little.”

  Molly glanced uncertainly at the water container and then toward the kitchen.

  “Make yourself comfortable, Joshua. I’ll be right back and get you something to eat.”

  Joshua eyed her suspiciously.

  “Is that for the wild kitty?”

  “Don’t call her that,” Molly muttered. “You know we gave her a name. She’s Angela now.” She took a step, then stopped. “And I hope you’d be ashamed to say something like that in front of Sophie.” Then she left.

  Joshua went to the greenhouse to watch his mother head toward the basement to give water to something that was neither fully human nor animal. He disliked the situation his parents had found themselves in, though he could not yet explain why. At first, it had felt like a strange game, and curiosity had driven him. But a week had passed, and instead of taking the “little demon” to a hospital or shelter, his mother was caring for her herself. Who knew what diseases she might catch from that savage girl? The thought troubled him deeply. A bad feeling settled in his chest. His father was worried about Molly as well. But neither Clive nor Joshua could go against the police’s decision.

  The Daniels family was considered one of the strongest and closest families. On every holiday, they gathered around one table, no matter that they lived in different parts of the city. Traditions had never been broken. Joshua had separated from the family early and built his own success by boldly pursuing new opportunities, supported by a father who spared no expense on his education. Clive’s support fueled Joshua’s ambition. By thirty, he owned a successful company supplying construction materials. He was married to a wonderful woman, Sophie, attentive and kind. Molly had loved her from the moment Joshua brought her home. There was only one flaw in their small family: for five years, Sophie had been unable to conceive. Joshua dreamed of an heir, and sometimes walked around gloomy and angry at the world.

  Joshua had a difficult temperament. Molly had learned to endure his complaints and dissatisfaction, but Sophie was sometimes hurt by him. The young woman often came to her mother-in-law to cry and complain about her restless husband. Joshua always listened to his mother, and her words were often enough to bring him back to reason.

  Clive and Molly also had an older daughter, Tara. She worked at Londonderry Hospital and had been extremely busy lately. She had not yet seen her parents’ new home in Coleraine but had heard much about it from her mother. They spoke almost every day. Molly told her daughter about her plans for the cottage, while Tara shared stories about the successes of Molly’s ten-year-old grandson, Thomas. Tara also knew about Angela and often asked how the girl had managed to live down there for so long. Molly could only sigh, saying that they still knew very little about the poor girl’s life.

  Angela was asleep on her new little bed when Molly brought her water. Using a flashlight, she could see very little. Still, she noticed a toy on the floor, one Angela almost never let go of. Molly crouched down, picked it up, and shone the light on it. It was a teddy bear in a red sweater with a name embroidered in yellow thread: Toby.

  A name, Molly thought.

  Toby the teddy bear had been the girl’s only friend in the total darkness. It was heartbreaking to realize that a human being had known no one except this dirty toy and the rats that inevitably lived there.

  Molly looked at Angela as she began to stir and wake. She wanted to put the toy back, but the girl noticed in time. Growling like a wild animal, she tore the teddy bear from Molly’s hands and, the next second, was already sitting beneath the stairs.