The Wire Hanger

Chapter 41

            We wound through the neighborhood, the trees overhead heavy with leaves. The bright morning sunshine that filtered down was tinted green. It seemed like the kind of neighbourhood where nothing bad could ever happen, that held no secrets. But the safe house was in here somewhere, and I was learning that everyone had secrets.

            Finally we pulled into an unassuming driveway. The house, set back from the street with a wide and meticulously manicured lawn, was only one story and much smaller than the Professor's was. There were flowerboxes hanging from the windowsill, and patterned curtains. The mailbox was bright white and the front door a gleaming red. It could have been taken from a children's illustrated storybook. As we headed towards the front door, looking as nonchalant as possible in case of dogwalkers or early morning joggers – I felt very conspicuous in my Protectors gear, although I knew it meant I was unlikely to be bothered – I took a closer look at the flowerboxes. It was then that I saw it: the tiny etching of a wire clothes hanger, scratched into the paint of the window frame as though with a paperclip. I blinked back the shock of recognition and followed Esau, head down, through the front door.

            As soon as it closed behind us, my mother rushed us, grabbing both Esau and myself in an enormous hug while David, Felix, and Noah stood awkwardly to one side. "What were you thinking," she half-growled into my ear, hugging me all the tighter.

            "Starting to make a habit of it," I said. "Heretofore unknown talents, and all that." It sounded callous, but I thought the best way to keep myself from crying was to crack situationally inappropriate joke.

            "Like mother, like daughter," said David, earning himself a glare.

            My mother finally let us out of the hug but seemed unwilling to relinquish contact completely, stroking the back of my head. "Let's get you out of those uniforms," she said. "There's all kinds of extra clothes in the closets. Makes me nervous to see the two of you like this."

            Esau and I followed her through a family room, where Jezebel, Obadiah, the Professor, Hannah, and two women I didn't know, both of them about sixty, were drinking coffee and chatting. There was a freshly baked loaf of banana bread on the table, with thick slices on napkins. My stomach rumbled.

            "Please, help yourself," said one of the women. She had long gray hair in a tidy braid.

            With a quick glance at my mother, who nodded, I took a piece. Esau followed suit behind me. It was studded with walnuts and I thought I had never tasted anything so delicious in my life.

            "Make yourself at home," said the other woman. She had close-cropped hair like a man's, which startled me; usually cutting off a woman's hair was used as one of the milder forms of punishment. But hers was tidy, as though she'd done it herself, on purpose. "I'm Martha, and this is Ruth. We're glad to have you." She didn't smile, but her words were warm.

            "Thank you," I said. "We really appreciate it."

            Ruth, the one with the braid, waved a hand as though it were nothing. "Things were getting a little quiet around here anyway," she said, eyes sparkling.

            Martha glanced at her quickly as if to disagree, but said nothing.

            "We were hoping for some changes of clothes," said my mother.

            "Of course. You know where the closets are, Naomi."

            With a final nod at everyone in the room – Noah and the others had edged in as well – we went into the back bedroom, which had an enormous king bed taking up most of the space, and a scratched wooden door leading into a walk-in closet. My mother emerged with her arms full of two boxes, one labeled "teenage girl" and the other "teenage boy."