I became acutely aware of the stink of Evie’s discarded diaper in this small gas station bathroom.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said, carrying Evie out the door.
Olive followed me, holding the door open for the woman waiting outside.
After I buckled Evie into her seat next to Olive, I grabbed both my phone and Olive’s from the front seat, pocketing Olive’s.
“You’re phoning Dad?” Olive asked, her voice rising in alarm. “Now?”
“I have some questions,” I said. “And he needs to know what just happened.”
I closed the passenger door, then stood a few feet away, keeping a close eye on Olive as I called Aaron. He answered right away.
“Is it Madison?” he asked without saying hello. “What has she done now?”
I heard the hum of a vehicle in the space behind him. He was in a taxi, then.
“No . . . yes, likely,” I said.
Olive bit her nails as she watched me from the back seat.
“Aaron, Olive jumped out of the truck and ran off on me at the swing bridge. She caught a ride in a minivan—”
His voice rose in alarm. “With Madison?”
“Probably. I chased after it—”
“Olive is gone?”
“No, no. She’s here, with me.” I held out a hand to her as I spoke, as if he could see me. “But there was a deer, and the van she was in swerved off—”
“She was in an accident? My god. Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. It wasn’t really an accident. The van just drove off the road. But the woman driving the van—”
His voice grew louder. “Why would Olive run off on you like that? Why would she run to Madison?”
“I’m sorry, Aaron. I didn’t—”
“Seriously? I can’t even trust you to keep my daughter safe?”
A semi blew by, shuddering the ground under my feet. “But I brought Olive all the way up here,” I said, my voice rising to a childish whine. “I did what you asked. How could I possibly know she’d jump out of the truck?” I repeatedly pressed the toe of my runner against the concrete parking block as I waited for Aaron to respond. In the truck, Olive rocked herself, as she often did when anxious.
Aaron released a long sigh. “Okay, okay, I know,” he said finally. “I shouldn’t have blasted you like that. I’m just . . .”
“Scared.” I nodded as I bit my nail. I would be scared and angry too if something happened to Evie while she was in Aaron’s care. I could see her little hands now, clutching a stuffie, waving up and down within the truck.
“But I shouldn’t have entrusted you with keeping Olive safe,” he said, “not with Madison stalking you like that.”
Because I wasn’t capable of dealing with it, he was suggesting. And I wasn’t. I had nearly let that strange woman drive away with Olive.
I put my hand under my armpit to stop myself from biting my nails. “What I was trying to ask—at first I was sure it was Madison who had picked her up, but it was this other woman. And I think Madison must have hid in the back of the van when we all stopped. When I tried to open the door to see, it was locked. Could Madison have someone working with her to get to Olive? A friend, maybe?” Although, from the way Sarah presented herself, I doubted it; she didn’t look like she belonged in Madison’s circle of friends, if Madison even had a circle of friends.
Aaron paused. “Did Olive seem to know this person?”
“I’m not sure. It didn’t really seem like it. Olive claimed she was trying to catch a bus back home, to see friends, and the woman said she was only giving her a ride.”
“What did she look like?”
“Forty-something, maybe older. Wild hair. She seemed kind of worn-out. Scruffy. The van was older, a minivan, and she was dressed like she shopped at a thrift store or was homeless or something.”
I locked gazes with Olive as I realized where I had seen Sarah before. She had driven slowly down the street behind me as I’d run home that morning. Given that Madison had appeared along my running route, it had likely been Sarah’s minivan I’d seen parked there as well. She must have given Madison a ride.
“Aaron, I saw her this morning, back in Toronto,” I said. “Near our place. I thought she was a homeless person. But she must know Madison. Madison must have been in that van with her. Why else would she be up here?” I bit my thumbnail again as I waited for Aaron to respond. When he didn’t, I said, “She said her name was Sarah.”
“What else did you notice about her?”
“I don’t know. She was skinny, bad hair, blond. Dyed.” I could see her graying roots. “She looked pretty rough, actually, like a junkie.” There was a long pause on Aaron’s end. “Are you still there?”
“I’m here.” His voice had gone dull. “Did she say anything else to you?”
“No, not really. She was pissed that I had chased after her. And she wanted me to stay away from her van.”
“What did she say to Olive?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure she had much of a chance to say anything. Olive jumped into the van and then I chased after them. It was only a matter of minutes before we nearly hit that deer.”
“Good. Good. That’s good.”
I locked gazes with Olive. “You know who she is, don’t you?” I asked Aaron.
“What’s that?”
“That woman, Sarah. You know who she is.”
He took a beat too long to respond. “No. No, I don’t. I imagine Madison got a friend, or maybe hired someone, to help her. Perhaps she felt having a stranger pick up Olive would make her harder to trace or would deflect the blame away from her.”
“So you think Madison was trying to kidnap Olive?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t know anymore.”
“Why were you worried about what this Sarah woman said to Olive?” I hesitated. “Do you know her? From where?”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Kira, don’t go hormonal on me.” When I stayed silent, reining in the hurt, he softened his voice. “Look, I’m just trying to figure out what the hell is going on.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding, though of course he couldn’t see me. “I get it.” He was scared, scared of losing Olive.
“I thought I had worked things out with Olive,” he said, “and she runs off like that. I spent all that time with her, getting her to trust me again. This is a nightmare.”
“Look, Aaron, I know what Olive is going through. My own mother pulled the same kind of shit on me.”
She had taken the gifts my father had offered me during our infrequent visits and thrown them in the garbage. He’s only trying to manipulate you, Kira, she said. He’s giving you these gifts because he wants something from you. The sick bastard. Has he touched you yet? He hadn’t, but she said he would, he would try to touch me. I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I knew it was bad, that he would hurt me in some way. He was an affectionate man, a hugger, and often wrapped an arm around me or hugged me goodbye. After that, I never let him touch me again.
“But we’re still in the early days here,” I said to Aaron, glancing at Olive. She rocked and rocked, staring straight ahead now. “You’re on the right track. We just need to keep Olive away from Madison long enough that she learns to fully trust you and heals up completely. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I’m heading up there,” he said. “I’ll rent a car and drive. I should be there in the morning.”
“No, Aaron, really, there’s no need.”
“Don’t let Olive out of your sight. Sleep in the same room if you have to. And for god’s sake, keep her away from Madison and that other woman.”
“I will. I’ll keep her safe. I promise. But you don’t have to come up here—”
“Phone me if either of those nutjobs turns up again.”
“We’ll likely be out of cell range soon. I’ll have to phone from the landline once we get to the cottage.”
“Text me the address now, then.”
“But you don’t need to—”
“Look, Kira, I’m sorry about losing it earlier. You know I love you.”
“I love you too. But—”
He hung up.
“Shit.” I banged a hand on the hood of the truck, then turned away from the girls to stare at the bridge over the North Channel, the ribbon of water between us and the way home.
I had managed to keep my old life separate from my new one up to this point. Aaron had never come to Manitoulin with me.
Olive rolled down her window. “What is it? What did he say?”
I hesitated, then plastered on a smile. “Your dad is on his way,” I said cheerfully. “He’s driving here overnight.”
And in the morning, my two worlds would collide.