Hannah sat beside a washing machine, her knees pulled tight to her chest, her flower basket on the floor, several crushed petals clinging to her light-blue skirt.

I knelt on the tile.

“Why are you sitting in here, and who told you to stay?” I asked, taking her hand.

She twisted the satin ribbon at her waist until her fingers turned pale.

“Pamela said I had to stay hidden until the ceremony ended,” she said softly.

And every sound inside that building seemed to disappear.

Chapter 4 — What She Told Me Behind the Door

“Why would Pamela tell you something like that?” I asked, keeping my voice level.