Read Baltimore [3.5] Broken Silence for Free Online Page A

later, tears began to roll down the little girl’s cheeks. Daphne started to reach for her, but Maggie cleared her throat.
    ‘Daphne, Heidi, why don’t you go into the office,’ Maggie said quietly. ‘You can’t rush this. Give the child space. Let her cry.’
    Daphne and Heidi complied, but stood in the doorway to watch. Daphne sighed. ‘It took me months before I spoke and I never did tell the whole truth. I was too terrified. Maggie was so patient. Sometimes we’d come out and brush horses for hours in complete silence.’
    ‘I’ve been reading about equine therapy lately,’ Heidi said. ‘It seems so simple.’
    ‘It is. And it doesn’t help everyone, for sure. But it helped me.’
    ‘I’ve got a file drawer full of kids who could use something like this.’
    Something within Daphne stirred. ‘I’m sure there are certified programs in the city.’
    Heidi grimaced. ‘Sure, but most of them have waiting lists. That’s why I haven’t utilized it. By the time the slots open up, my kids are either placed in foster care or returned to the home.’
    ‘Excuse me. Hello?’ A tall, very pregnant woman with a long blond braid had opened the barn door.
    Daphne felt a flutter of dread. Dr. Sophie Johannsen was here. Bringing my father’s guitar . The flutter intensified, her heart beginning to race. Maybe it had nothing to do with the cabin. Maybe she just wasn’t ready to deal with her father’s things.
    Heidi had stiffened. ‘You were expecting someone?’
    ‘Yes,’ Daphne said. ‘She’s come to talk to me. She’s no danger to Angel. Joseph and his agents wouldn’t have let her through if she posed any threat. I’ll be right back.’ She met Sophie halfway, extending her hand. ‘Dr. Johanssen. Welcome.’
    Sophie shook her hand. ‘Please, call me Sophie. I hope you don’t mind that I dropped by. I wanted to meet you before I went home.’ She spread her palm on her pregnant belly and laughed. ‘I don’t think my husband’s going to let me leave town again for a long, long time.’
    ‘We’re so very grateful for your help in mapping the gravesites,’ Daphne said.
    ‘I was happy to be able to help. I’ve heard so much about you from the police and federal agents up at the crime scene. Everyone speaks so highly of you and a number of townspeople send their good wishes. “If you meet little Daphne, tell her that we’re glad she’s doing so well,”’ she said with a very authentic-sounding twang.
    ‘I’m impressed,’ Daphne said with a smile. ‘You sound like a native.’
    Sophie shrugged. ‘I’m pretty good with accents and languages. I promised the townspeople that I’d give you the message, so there you are. I’m not sure you understand what it’s meant to the residents to have this resolved. You were a symbol of stolen innocence. The retirees remember searching for you. The thirty-somethings remember it as a defining point in their lives – their first brush with evil. That you’ve found your own happy ending has given folks hope.’
    Emotion welled within her. ‘Thank you. I’ve been so overwhelmed with what happened to me. I didn’t think of them. I should have.’
    ‘Why would you? That’s why I came. To tell you. And to bring your guitar. It – ’
    She stopped when Maggie approached, walking in a way that let her keep an eye on Angel. ‘I’m sorry to interrupt. Daphne, Angel’s talking.’
    Daphne sucked in a breath. ‘What is she saying?’
    ‘I have no idea, except that she’s not speaking English. She keeps saying the same thing, something about “pony perspective.”’ Maggie pulled out her phone. ‘I recorded it.’
    She played it and Daphne frowned. ‘It sounds Slavic or Russian.’
    Sophie had gone still. ‘It is Russian.’
    ‘You speak Russian?’ Maggie asked, surprised.
    ‘I’m fluent in ten languages,’ Sophie said in a matter-of-fact way, devoid of boasting. ‘It’s part of my job. Who is the little girl?’
    ‘A possible witness to a