The Day Silence Spoke novel Chapter 181

Yesenia’s eyes held a silent plea, begging Clifford not to embarrass her. He stared at her for a few seconds before giving a slight nod. “Right.”

Yesenia let out a breath of relief, a triumphant smirk replacing her worried expression.

“Really?” Mortimer’s brows knitted together. That didn’t sound right. The tapping on the window hadn’t sounded like a dog.

“What are you still standing here for? Get out!” Lennon hissed, giving his son a subtle, warning look.

Mortimer grumbled and walked away.

...

Inside the car, Latisha tugged at her collar. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. The thick smoke filling the small space made it even worse. She gasped for air, but her lungs burned with every shallow breath.

Mortimer walked back to the car and tapped on the window again. “Is someone in there?”

Latisha managed to lift her head and saw him leaning down, trying to peer inside. The tint was too dark. She summoned the last of her strength and slapped her hand against the glass. The sweaty print of her palm was just visible enough for Mortimer to see.

The sudden appearance of a hand made him jump back. He watched as it slowly slid down the window and disappeared.

“Holy…”

It finally clicked. There really was a person in there.

He looked around, then grabbed a rock from the edge of the road, intending to smash the window. But then he saw the license plate and hesitated.

“Go around to the other side,” Mortimer instructed. “Too many people over here.”

They moved to the side of the car shielded by a row of hedges, and the teenager got to work. Mortimer stood watch, chain-smoking as he waited. After nearly half an hour, his patience wore thin. “Are you getting anywhere with that?”

“Almost,” the teenager muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. He gave his tool a final twist. There was a soft ‘click’.

“It’s open!”

Mortimer rushed over and peered inside. He froze.

Lying on the backseat was a woman in a white sweater and a red apron. Her ponytail had come undone, and strands of hair were stuck to her pale, sweat-slicked face.