Contents
Chapter 37
Overview
Roxanne is missing when Elsie finds Persephone terrified after the earlier intrusion. Weighing the child’s fears, Elsie chooses not to call police, secures the house, and keeps vigil. Their bond deepens as Persephone seeks comfort and trust, signaling a shift in loyalty and responsibility.
Summary
Shaken by the earlier disturbance, Persephone clings to Elsie, who offers calm reassurance. Nugget circles as both tremble. Elsie gently asks after Roxanne and begins a search of the house.
Elsie checks Roxanne’s room and the rest of the home—bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, laundry, courtyard—and confirms Roxanne is gone. With no phone available, Elsie proposes calling the police from her home, but Persephone begs her not to, fearing her mother will be arrested for leaving her alone.
Elsie assesses the quiet street, locks the front door, and braces it with a chair. She downplays the intruder as possibly a drunken mistake, though acknowledging he asked for Roxanne. To comfort Persephone, Elsie agrees to stay until Roxanne returns.
In Persephone’s room, Elsie settles into a chair as Persephone climbs into bed. After a “pinkie promise,” Persephone drifts off, telling Elsie she loves her. Elsie remains on watch, their mutual vulnerability forging a deeper connection amid Roxanne’s unexplained absence.
Who Appears
- Elsie (Mabel)Comforts and protects Persephone, secures the house, chooses not to call police, and stays the night.
- PersephoneTerrified and alone; pleads against calling police; seeks comfort, extracting a pinkie promise from Elsie.
- RoxanneAbsent mother; her unexplained disappearance drives the tension and forces Elsie’s protective role.
- Unknown man (“Italian Stallion”)Earlier intruder who asked for Roxanne; now gone, his threat lingers over the night.