Truth or Lies? by A. Gomez (book club recommendations txt) 📗

had family. Inara asked if my boyfriend got me into this situation. I felt a spasm of pain in my gut for her and Elsa, remembering the explanation of how they got to be here.

The scene was all very off, it seemed so normal for them. The blinds in the kitchen and a few in the hallway leading to the kitchen were all open, letting the sunshine through. I could see the garden out back and how sparse it was. Autumn was here and all the leaves were falling and Chang’s shrubs and other vegetation was beginning to look thin and dormant. Perhaps this was why they wouldn’t let the girls outside… because there was not enough shrubbery out there to keep them hidden. I didn’t see why that would make a difference considering he had a giant wall surrounding the premises.

We finished breakfast and cleared our plates. The same girls that cooked clean up.

“Isabel,” Debbie called, “please follow Priscilla and Elsa. They’re going to get you ready for the pictures. Betty Lou can go with you too since she’ll be taking pictures as well.”

I nodded and Betty and I went hand in hand behind Elsa and Priscilla. We passed a room that looked like an office. The furniture and bookcases in there looked very sleek and modern. I saw Victor Chang sitting in front of a computer, staring intently at it. I managed to get a glimpse of the art and of course it was modern art. I might have even seen an Andy Warhol in there but we passed by so quickly I couldn’t be certain.

We continued up the majestic set of stairs by the front door and passed a few sculptures that Chang had educated me on last night. Our discussion of the artwork and his carefree and relaxed demeanor were very unsettling. He and Debbie acted as if it was just business as usual and it was anything but. We walked into someone’s room. Priscilla’s? Elsa’s? It looked just as big as ours… maybe a bit bigger. They had two walk-in closets, we had one. It was decorated very teen girly, bright and happy. Huh, at least Chang was making them comfortable here, or at least putting forth some sort of weird effort. Priscilla was saying something but I ignored her and headed straight for the windows. Damn! Screwed shut, shutters and everything.

“All the windows and shutters are like that,” Priscilla said. “We’ve all tried. Some of us have gone as far as to steal a hammer from Miss Debbie and try to pry it open.”

I placed my hands on my hips and exhaled, “Do y’all still have the hammer?”

“Yes. It’s hidden safely away where Debbie can’t find it.”

I turned around and gazed at the girls. Betty was strolling toward me, and Elsa and Priscilla were eyeing me speculatively.

“I heard what you were telling Miss Debbie,” Elsa commented.

“Yeah, me too, Isabel. Why did you tell her you wanted to help her?” Betty asked.

“I don’t really want to help her, I’m just trying to get into her head, confuse her a little. Just enough for her to let her guard down so I can, maybe, help us get out of here.”

“Oh,” they all said in unison.

“Ladies, can you tell me how to find these cell phones and wifi jammers?”

“They’re not hidden,” Priscilla replied. “They’re all over the mansion and in plain view. They look like a small, black, rectangular box with a bunch of short antennas attached to it. You can’t miss them.”

“The only problem is we don’t know how many there are,” Elsa added. Her English sounded pretty good. I thought for sure she would not be able to communicate at all. I guessed she learned English in Kosovo.

“I don’t think we need to worry about how many there are,” I began. “If I can disable half of them then I’m pretty sure I can get a signal. What about a cell phone charger for an iPhone X?” I asked. “Do y’all know if there’s one I can get my hands on?”

Priscilla and Elsa eyed each other. They looked as if they wanted to tell me something but were apprehensive to do so.

“I can steal one this afternoon,” Priscilla said. “I have a recurring appointment every Tuesday with the same man and he has an iPhone X. He likes to play music during our appointment and he always plugs his phone in. I’ll just take it before I leave.”

Both Elsa and Priscilla looked at me for assurance. “Priscilla,” I paused, gazing at her. “Only take it if you know for sure you’re not going to get caught. Don’t risk it otherwise. I can always figure out another way.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t get caught. He’s always drunk.”

I nodded and gave her a half smile. “Okay, then, where do you want me?”

She placed a chair in front of the bathroom mirror and patted it, indicating for me to sit down. Elsa scurried off to fetch her makeup products.

Priscilla cut and styled my hair first. Her instructions were to cut it short, up to my chin short, but I told her to only go as far as my shoulders. My hair was naturally wavy and the shorter it got the wavier it got, so it had the illusion of being shorter than it was. She could just curl it a little more and it’d look even shorter. She did a fantastic job! I actually loved the haircut. I asked her if she was once a hairdresser before landing in this God forsaken place. She told me she had taken a few cosmetology classes while in high school but that was all. Her dream was to be a hairdresser and own her own salon.

Now it was Elsa’s turn. I moved seats so Betty Lou could have my seat and get her hair fixed. I watched