A mute, foundling girl hides from her pursuers with the help of a reluctant recluse. The two of them have nothing in common except deep emotional scars. Who is she? How did she end up unconscious and scantily clothed on Evan's isolated property? Why...
The following week I took leave time to stay with Sophie. It didn't feel right for me to go back to work so soon and make her stay alone. One big issue loomed between us, and I was hesitant to bring it up. The urgency, though, left me little choice. Monday evening after dinner, I joined her on our sofa while she was busy doing something with her phone.
I cleared my throat, and she set her phone aside.
"Sophie, your journal was pretty specific about what happened to you back in Minnesota."
She cocked her head as if not understanding where I was going with the conversation.
"The same thing could be happening to other young girls." I let that hang for a moment so it could sink in. I continued, "We have a responsibility to try and stop it."
Sophie drew her knees up onto the sofa against her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She wouldn't look at me.
"I know it frightens you to contact law enforcement to tell your story. We can claim you're my half-sister, but if they decide to dig deep, that won't hold up. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. There's a risk they might want to take you away from me. I don't want that, but it could happen."
I regarded her, looking for a reaction. Her expression remained neutral. The possibility of social services separating us was a real risk, but what about the suffering of other victims? We were confronted with a classic moral dilemma. Doing the right thing might result in an unhappy outcome.
"I'll leave it up to you whether we contact the police, but I am going to contact an attorney, someone who specializes in family law. I want to get a legal opinion about our options. After that, I'll leave it up to you, Sophie. I won't force this on you, but I will ask you to think about other innocents if we don't roll up these evil people."
Other than her chest rising and falling from breathing, she didn't move.
One more thing needed to be discussed and it made me uncomfortable. "Sophie, we haven't discussed whether Titus...hurt you. I know it's humiliating for you to admit it, but if he did, I know you understand the potential danger to you. We don't know who else that man has been with..."
I felt so awkward and needed to take a breath. "There's also a risk of pregnancy. You need to get checked out by a doctor, that is, if he did—" I stopped talking after she grabbed my wrist and squeezed.
"Ow, girl!" I met her gaze.
She shook her head.
"He didn't?"
She shook her head again and wrote: He told me it would happen that night. Thank you for finding me in time.
I sighed in relief. "Okay, we don't have to talk about it anymore." When I turned away, she squeezed my wrist again, gently this time.
"What is it?"
She picked up the pad and wrote: If I can stop what's happening to other girls, it's worth the risk. I'm okay with you talking to a lawyer.
Somehow, I knew she'd reach that conclusion, and I was proud of her for doing so.
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1. What non-violent solution did Caleb and his Amish friends come up with to deal with Titus and his sons?
2. Will Evan and Sophie be able to continue living together as big brother and kid sister?
