Jenny tried to focus on the task at hand. She would never get through the day if she thought about what had happened earlier. Somewhere between here and the kitchen, her gloves had fallen out of her pocket. By the second trip to the wood pile, her fingers stung from the cold.

She picked up an armload of smaller branches. It looked like she had gathered more wood when she alternated between the thicker pieces and the smaller ones.

The wood pile was on the east side of the shed, and it was shielded from view of the kitchen. Patrick still had her cell phone. There were no neighbors close enough to hear her call. She couldn't run to the closest one, and not be missed. Besides, she knew if she ran, Jeremy would pay the price.

She searched the sky, checking for ominous snow clouds. A soft blue was all she could see. They needed help. She and Jeremy wouldn't survive much longer. Patrick was getting meaner and more unpredictable with each passing minute. The thought of his hands, pressing against her, pushing her against the shower stall, brought angry tears to her eyes. Quickly, she wiped them away.

The roof of the shed was nearly flat. The overhang supported by spindly, decaying columns.

God helps those who help themselves. She grabbed three of the smaller branches and tossed them up on the roof. She couldn't call or run, but she could signal another way. She tossed several more up.

She grabbed a few more bigger pieces of wood and carried them to the back porch.

She returned to the shed and looked around. Somehow she needed to climb up without being noticed. She hoisted herself up, laying flat on her belly. Her fingers burned like fire. She moved quickly, laying the sticks this way and that.

She went to climb down and panicked. It looked a lot farther to the ground than she thought it would.

"Hey," Patrick called. He was coming across the yard, moving quicker than Jenny thought possible. "Where are you, Jenny Burns?"

Her boots were sliding out from under her. She teetered on the edge of the roof.

"Up here," she answered.

He came around the side and looked up.

"What the fuck are you doing up there?"

She tossed down a small branch. She crouched down to jump. Without warning he grabbed a handful of her coat and tugged hard. She toppled forward, landing face first in the hardened snow. It felt like tiny shards of glass.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

She wiped the snow off of her face and turned. "Getting smaller branches for kindling."

"Grab what you have here. I'm hungry. You need to fix something for us to eat."

She hoped that the message would be seen, then she gathered the wood into her aching arms. Don't let this be in vain, she prayed.


She boiled some potatoes and fried up some sliced deli ham. Only Fin waited until she was done saying grace before digging in. Patrick had cleaned nearly half of his plate by the time she said Amen.

"Can I take some food to Jeremy?" she asked.

Patrick nodded as he leaned back in his chair. He eyed her as she fixed the plate for her brother.

"Fin, you wouldn't believe the sweet ass on this girl. She's a conundrum, she sure is."

Fin nodded, but didn't look up from his plate.

"What was that, sweet Jenny?" Patrick said.

Her eyes met his. "I didn't say anything."

"Ah, but you were thinking something, right?"

"Yes. I was."

He playfully kicked Fin under the table.

"Well, let's hear it."

"I was thinking how you might get away with this. But in the end, you'll have to face God. And you'll be punished for all the horrible things you've done."

Patrick smiled, his blue eyes steely and calculating.

"Maybe, maybe not. All I have to do is ask for forgiveness. Isn't that right, Jenny Burns?"

Patrick winked at her, a satisfied smile on his face as she turned away.

to be continued...