The Doll Garden

Seventeen

He was going to kill me. Maybe he was the one who pushed me that night. I might've been overthinking things, but why else would he have wanted me alone outside? He'd told me he needed my help, and I'd agreed to meet with him. I should have known he was lying.

"So, um, what do you need help with?" It was impossible for Henry not to feel my eyes on him. We were alone, strolling about in the big circle, breathing in the fresh air. But nothing about this was peaceful. My first thought was to run for it. I had convinced myself he wanted me dead.

My second thought was to scream for help; a backup plan, in case I couldn't run for it before it was too late. Things had happened just as Mirabelle said they would. My father, Henry, Tahlia, and Reiner had been released from their holding cells early this morning. However, my father didn't come straight home. I didn't know why and I didn't bother asking. None of them probably knew.

"Ah, right! I bought a new phone this morning. And I'm an old man, you know. Would you do me the honor of helping me set it up, little miss Jenna?" he chirped happily, before leaning into my ears, whispering, "Play along. There are eyes watching."

"What?" I felt my body turn frozen solid. My eyes swept over him. Observing him. Analyzing him. There was something about his body language that didn't sit right with me. In contrast to the smile that never left his face, his muscles were stiffened from head to toe.

"My phone," he said again, shoving what looked like a brand new phone into my hands. "I need help setting it up. Please?"

"Oh. O-okay..." I mumbled and took the phone from his hands. My feet didn't move another inch. I leaned my back up against the centerpiece in the middle of the circle, inspecting the phone. Back and front. So, it really was a new phone. That, at least, gave me some comfort.

Henry stopped as well with his hands folded over his legs. The next few seconds were daunting as he watched me toy around with the buttons on the phone. It lit up when I pressed the power button; a notification for the SD card appeared at the top. I guess there wasn't much for me to do except sync his SD card. Other than that, the phone seemed ready to use.

"I don't understand," I said, eyeing him through the tips of my lashes.

Henry's smile dropped the minute he turned his back to the windows. "Jenna, I have a confession to make," he practically whispered.

"Huh? Is that why you brought me out here?"

"Yes," he answered.

I squinted at him and trod carefully. "Why didn't you just tell me inside?"

"Because I feared someone would see us indulging in casual conversation and assume the worst. So, I needed a reason to talk to you alone... Do you remember when you asked me about the women? I ... I haven't been completely honest with you about what I know."

I'd figured that was the case a long time ago. When I'd first asked him about the women, he had appeared to be unhinged. I remembered the way he'd dodged my questions and acted as though he was in no mood to speak on the matter. Avoiding eye contact. Forcing unconvincing laughter. I never mentioned it to him, though.

My face screwed. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth when I first asked you then?"

"Because a lot of things that didn't make sense back then are starting to make a lot of sense now. Strange things have happened during my time working here... I didn't lie to you when I said I didn't know any of the women—I assumed you meant, personally. But I was here.

"I started working for Marcus back in 2001. It was a few days after Manuel was born. And that's when things started to seem a little dodgy. There were ... affair rumors, for instance... Some of the staff gossiped about your father having a previous lover before Sofia."