“Mama, what are we going to do?”

“I need to see what’s happening. Promise you won’t leave the shed!”

“Please, Mama, let me go with you.”

“No! You stay here! No matter what happens, don’t follow me. Do you understand?”

“I have to go with you,” Nora stammered.

“No arguments!”

Nora didn’t utter a word.

“I’m counting on you to stay back. If something happens, Sam will have no idea you’re out here. You’ll be safe.”

The shed was set approximately thirty feet behind the house, close to the alley. Eloise crept up to the left side of the house, peering into the same window Nora had. Sam was sprawled on the couch with an empty bottle of bourbon next to him. She studied the situation and decided to take the risk of going inside to retrieve her hidden cash. Over the past two years she had saved almost four hundred dollars for a day like this.

Eloise had built up cash from the money Sam doled out to her to buy groceries and household items. Since the beginning of their marriage, he insisted on managing their finances. Reluctantly, she gave him her paychecks, leaving her in the dark as to how much money they had. Never would she have agreed to this if it hadn’t been for Nora. Keeping a roof over her daughter’s head was her main priority.

Eloise’s hiding place was in the back of their bedroom closet, behind the baseboard. She would pry it away from the wall with a kitchen knife, slip in the cash, and tap it back in place with a hard-soled shoe. Old shoe boxes covered the spot. The money had never been disturbed, so she assumed Sam didn’t know about it.

Eloise hoped to get in and out of the house as fast as possible. He was a violent drunk. She climbed the three steps to the back door and slipped into the kitchen. Peeking around the living room, it appeared Sam was out cold.

Eloise tiptoed backward toward their bedroom, turned to the right and stepped forward to reach the closet. Brushing against the waist-high dresser, she bumped a small glass vase. It fell and shattered on the well-worn hardwood flooring. She stood perfectly still, not hearing a sound.

Eloise slid into the closet, bent down, and found the spot. She didn’t have the kitchen knife, so instead she used her car key to pry the baseboard up and retrieve the cash. Using the familiar shoe, she lightly tapped the baseboard back into place. Swiftly, she stuffed the money into her bra and pulled down her sweater in one quick motion. Backing out of the closet, she stopped when she heard a sound. Trembling, she turned around. There was Sam.