Philip Dampier's Blog

Episode 10

Wanda waited until the last car drove away. She allowed herself a small peek out the window. From her limited view, everyone was gone. She decided to wait just a few minutes more. She lay still and didn’t even allow herself to hum. After a bit, she raised up and looked outside. Nothing. She slid back and got to her feet. She moved slowly so as not to disturb a loose board if there was one, in case someone was hiding in the house besides her.

She maintained her caution going down the stairs, one hand on the wall and the other tightened around the large knife. She liked the large knife; it was heavy and very sharp. Wanda walked through the house and down to the basement. Satisfied that the place was empty, she went back to Jill’s room and found her daughter’s hairbrush. In the bathroom, she brushed her hair and washed her face. Her clothes were all askew, and she tugged them into line. She had no makeup to put on, but she thought she looked presentable.

She laid her favorite knife on the kitchen counter and eased out the kitchen door onto the porch. She was moving at a steady pace that didn’t attract any unusual attention. No one would see her, as the neighbors had heard about the day’s events and all their doors were closed and locked, and the window blinds pulled down. Wanda headed up the street walking on the sidewalk towards the junior high school just a few blocks away. She had so much energy that she was actually enjoying the walk.

She had been the original daycare finder, and so she knew where every one of the facilities on that side of town was located. It was a twenty-minute walk to Oak Street and the Rocking Horse Daycare Center.

She practiced smiling as she walked, preparing to act the perfect mother. She just wanted to pick her daughter up herself. Wouldn’t that moron Arvie be surprised when he went to get Jill and found her gone? She stopped humming and started laughing. She was very attractive when she smiled.

A high mesh fence enclosed The Center, and Wanda opened the gate and made her way to the front door. She could hear squeals and laughter inside. She turned the doorknob and pushed the door in. A young girl, maybe twenty or so, stood in the front room. As Wanda entered the room, the worker looked up, and a question mark appeared on her face. She knew all the parents, and she didn’t know this lady.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m Mrs. Anderson. I’ve come to pick up my daughter, Jill. Her dad is busy and can’t get her today.”

“Oh. Just a moment Mrs. Anderson.”

The young girl turned and disappeared into the next room, and Wanda heard voices. She stepped further into the room, and an older lady startled her when she walked in. She had a look on her face as if she was trying to hide what she was feeling. Wanda sensed that something was amiss. The lady stopped short when she realized that Wanda had wandered into the second room.

“Mrs. Anderson?”

“Yes, I want my daughter, please.”

“You daughter isn’t here, Mrs. Anderson. Her father picked her up almost an hour ago. I don’t understand why you are here. Mr. Anderson told me that you were in the hospital and only he was to pick up Jill.”

“What? You can see that I’m not in a hospital and Jill is my daughter. That butthead is trying to keep her away from me. And you’re helping him, aren’t you? The two of you are in cohoots, aren’t you?”

“No, no, we’re just following instructions. We’re not trying to get in anybody’s private business.”

Wanda’s face had completely changed. Gone was the look of a loving mother and in its place was a snarling, spitting wildcat. She stepped closer to the daycare lady and struck her across the face.

Turning she swept a lamp off a table. The woman screamed, and the lamp crashed. Doors banged, and children started crying. The front door opened and a mother in search of her child came in. The shock on her face turned to terror when Wanda slammed her out of the way as she headed for the exit.

Oh, how Wanda wished she had brought her knife. The idiots would’ve paid for their conspiracy. She entertained the thought that she might just get the knife and come back.

Wanda crossed Oak Street and headed a block away from the daycare where she turned on Walnut. She walked in the direction away from the daycare and Arvie’s house.

She decided she would wait until dark and then return to the house on Chestnut and see if Arvie was home. She would get rid of him once and for all and claim her child.

Arvie and Jill were just about to leave the motel room for supper when the room phone rang. Arvie picked it up and held it tight to his ear.

“Hello.”

“Mr. Anderson?”

“Yes, this he.”

“This is Captain Vaughn with the city police department. We just received a call from the daycare center where your daughter was. Your wife was there looking for the girl. She attacked the owner and another person. We’re scouring the neighborhood but haven’t found her so far.

I don’t think you should take your daughter back there. In fact, the owner told me to tell you not to come back. I’m sorry. I think you should stay put until we find her.”

“Oh my goodness. Please find her quick. The woman is crazy for sure.”

“We’ll find her. Don’t worry.”