Both he and Frau Baxter laughed together. Kristel had come to the end of her chain leash and stopped. She made no show of having heard her fathers words, nor did I think she had. I knew then with certainty and without the need to be told, that the girl inside this rubber suiting was sealed off from all outside sensory input. I was ready to cry for her.
Frau Baxter and Herr Strang began to walk slowly along the hallway towards what had been the Drawing Room and I followed close behind so as to give her no excuse to pull on my leash. Kristel, it seemed, was well-trained to her situation. Just a tiny tug on her chain had her struggling noisily along behind us.
When we reached the open door of the former Drawing Room I could not but stop dead in my tracks. Certainly, I had heard the workmen
