Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
Rory heard a little sob, and then it stopped, as if Moses had jammed his fist into his mouth.
“I need a flashlight to see how best to get to him,” Cindy said. Her voice shook, but she kept it together. That was Cindy. She had the boys, and she didn’t lose it when she had to be strong for them.
“I’ve got one on my keychain.” Rory passed her the keys. “It’s pretty bright, so tell Moses to close his eyes.” She could use the light against an attacker by flashing it in his eyes to temporarily blind him. It wasn’t like she was the fastest runner in town, so she had to have other devices that would work for her if she was attacked.
“Mom,” Isiah said, tugging on Cindy’s leggings. “Ret’s there. I could see his head. There’s a plastic bag around it, and his mouth is open wide and so are his eyes. I told Moses not to look at him. I told him to stare up at the door. I tried to reach him to pull him back up, but I couldn’t get to him.”
“You did the right thing coming to get me. Moses, you need to close your eyes and keep them closed,” Cindy called down to her son. “I’m using Auntie Rory’s flashlight and it’s superbright. She says it could blind you. Close your eyes very tight while I look down and see how far you are. I want to know if I can just reach down and pull you up.”
“You’re too short, Mom,” Isiah announced. “Auntie Jan maybe could do it, or Auntie Pam, but not you.”
Cindy ignored Isiah’s proclamation. “Are you ready, Moses? Do you have your eyes closed? I’m going to shine the light on you.”
“Yes.” The answer was shaky.
Rory wrapped her arm around Cindy and stepped up with her to the edge of the garbage chute. The first thing she saw was little Moses with his face upturned toward them, his shock of sun-bleached hair and his hands over his eyes. Then she saw Ret’s face in the plastic bag, his mouth open as he died gasping for air and his eyes wide open in shock. It was an ugly sight, one Moses and Isiah should never have seen.
Moses was sitting right on top of the head, as it was turned sideways. Ret’s shoulders were wedged in the garbage chute, wrapped in plastic as well. Rory could just barely make that out. Cindy started shaking so much that her entire body sagged. The light went all over the place. Rory caught the keychain before it bounced down the chute. She helped Cindy to sit to one side of the opening. Isiah rushed to his mother and burst into tears as he circled her neck with his arms and buried his face in her neck.
“Janice, do you think you can reach him?” Rory asked. Janice had peered into the chute as well.
Janice nodded grimly. “Pam stepped out and called the police. They’ll be here soon. We want Moses out of the chute and both boys in their apartment with their mother by the time the cops get here.”
Rory took a breath and let it out. “That’s good. Little Moses can’t handle much more.”
“I’m coming for you, Moses,” Janice called down to the boy. “You don’t have to do anything but reach your arms up very, very high when I tell you to. Otherwise, hold really still until you hear me tell you to reach up. Can you do that for Auntie Jan?”
“Yes,” Moses’s shaky voice answered. He sounded even quieter than he had the first time.
Rory could barely hear him. She was suddenly afraid for him. She didn’t know that much about children, but she did know trauma could wreak havoc on victims. If Moses became so traumatized that he couldn’t deal with the reality of the situation, it would be much more difficult getting him out of the chute.
“Hold the light to the side so I can still see down into the chute, but keep it out of his eyes.”
Janice climbed onto the chair, positioning herself directly over the middle of the garbage chute, and leaned in. Pam had returned, and she quickly anchored her ankles. Rory held the light aloft and to one side, making certain that Janice could see the little boy but the bright light wouldn’t hurt their eyes.
“All right, Moses, reach up for me. Stretch as far as your arms can go. Don’t try to stand up,” Janice instructed. “Let me catch your wrists, and I’ll pull you up and out of there.”
For a moment, Moses sat very still, almost as if he didn’t hear Janice or he was too terrified to obey. Then his little arms began to rise slowly into the air. Rory’s breath caught in her throat as Janice strained to reach him. It looked as if she might tumble into the chute, but Pam refused to allow her to fall, holding her firmly. Cindy added her strength to Pam’s, both women anchoring Janice as she stretched toward the little boy.