Sara climbed out of her car. The crisp breeze fluttered the sides of her jacket, and she belted it at the waist. Her heel caught on a crack in the porch. She pulled her shoe free and rang the doorbell.
Nothing. It didn’t work. Yep, ten to one, the home repairs were more extensive than Grant had let on. His mom was probably embarrassed. Sara didn’t want to upset the woman, but she didn’t feel comfortable ignoring the situation either.
She knocked on the door. Two minutes went by and nothing. Sara knocked on the door a second time and then leaned in, straining to hear any sound. Was April unable to answer the door? Had she fallen and was unable to get up?
“Mrs. Edwards?” Sara reached for the door handle. To her surprise, it was unlocked. She opened it a crack. “Mrs. Edwards? It’s Sara Wilson. I’m coming in to check on you.”
She waited to see if April would answer. A rank smell wafted through the crack and smacked Sara in the face. She gagged. Good night, what was that? If it was some kind of paint or paint thinner, she needed to know the brand and then never use it.
“Mrs. Edwards?” Sara pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold. Her heart stopped and then dropped to her feet.
A mix of items were piled in the living room covering the couch completely and spilling onto the carpet. Old televisions, computers, floppy discs, and enough ribbon for the entire county were combined with books, broken furniture, and picture frames.
The blinds were drawn, casting the entire house in shadows. Magazines were stacked in neat piles along the far wall. Newspapers too. Sara turned, her gaze flickering over the items in the dining room. China of every imaginable pattern covered all surfaces. It was stacked on the floor, arranged by a system she didn’t understand. The smell of garbage mingled with the scent of mold, twisting her stomach.
“Oh, Grant.” Sara’s mind whirled. His mother was a hoarder. No wonder Grant had flipped out when she showed up unexpectedly on the porch a few days ago. He was going to be upset to find out she’d uncovered his secret, but there was nothing to do about that right now. She needed to make sure his mom was okay.
Sara squared her shoulders and kept moving farther into the house. It was much more likely April had fallen and was unable to help herself.
“Mrs. Edwards, it’s Sara. I’m here to help you.” She moved into the kitchen. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink, and the trash was overflowing. She breathed through her mouth, but it was useless. “Mrs. Edwards, please answer me.”
A noise came from the rear of the house. The bedrooms. Sara picked her way down the hall, stepping over boxes and piles of items. The master bedroom looked like the rest of the house, but a touch cleaner. Sara circled into the bathroom.
April lay on the floor clutching her arm. Blood stained her clothes. Sara crouched next to her. “Mrs. Edwards, you’re hurt.”
“I cut myself.” She blinked at Sara, and then her eyes widened with fear. “Oh, you can’t be here. You can’t tell anyone—”
“I’m not going to tell a soul, Mrs. Edwards. I promise you.” She gently laid a hand on the other woman’s leg. “I only want to make sure you’re okay. But you’re not. Can I see the cut, please?”
Grant’s mom nodded and extended her arm. The cut was along her forearm, and it looked deep enough to need stitches. Sara winced. “This must be very painful. I’m glad you called me. It’s bleeding a lot.”
She grabbed a towel from a nearby rack and sniffed it. Smelled clean. She wrapped it around April’s arm. Without asking, she knew paramedics were out of the question. April wouldn’t want them anywhere near the house. As impossible as it seemed, the Edwards family had managed to keep the hoarding a secret. Sara wasn’t about to out them if she could prevent it.
“Ma’am, I need to take you to the hospital because your arm needs stitches.”
Tears ran down April’s face. “No, no. I can’t go with you. No one is supposed to come inside the house.”
Sara’s heart broke. Shame was a powerful thing, and while she didn’t understand everything that was going on, Sara did know Grant’s mom needed compassion and kindness.
She adjusted the towel tighter around April’s arm, applying pressure on the wound. “Mrs. Edwards, no one else is coming inside the house. I promise. What I want is for us to go outside, and I’ll drive you to the hospital. Did you know Grant fixed my car? It was making a huge racket before. Now it runs like new.”
She blinked. “He’s like his daddy. My Michael could fix anything.”
“I remember.” Sara helped April into a standing position. “Not only did Grant fix my car, but he’s been helping me at the library. Have you seen the photographs of him in the cape? It’s the funniest thing.”
She kept up a steady stream of conversation while carefully leading April out of the house. Nothing elicited a laugh, but Grant’s mom did smile from time to time.
At the front door, Sara paused. April was dressed in a thin house dress. Sara removed her coat and draped it over the other woman’s narrow shoulders. Grant’s mom began to protest, but Sara shushed her.
“It’s a bit chilly outside, Mrs. Edwards. I have another jacket in my car. Along with a first aid kit. We can apply a better bandage to your arm before heading for the hospital.”
She gripped Sara’s hand. “You’re very kind.”
“Nonsense. Townsfolk help one another.” She shut the front door and escorted April down the porch steps. “We’ll get you all fixed up and taken care of.”
They were going down the walkway when Grant’s SUV raced up. He didn’t bother to kill the engine. Merely parked sideways on the street and hopped out of the vehicle,
