Chương 12
Daniel laughed.
She threw the damp towel at him.
It hit his shoulder.
He laughed harder and immediately regretted it because of his jaw.
Frank watched them.
Something loosened inside him.
Not relief.
Relief would have been dishonest.
More like the first inch of room in a place that had been crowded too long.
Anna looked at the doll dress in his hands.
“What are you doing?”
“Laundry.”
“You’re holding it like evidence.”
“I don’t know the procedure.”
“For washing a doll dress?”
“For any of this.”
Anna took it from him.
“There’s detergent upstairs.”
Frank followed her into the kitchen.
Daniel remained behind with the ice pack.
Anna dropped the dress into a small utility sink beside the pantry.
Frank leaned against the doorway.
“Will it come clean?”
“Probably.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
Anna glanced at him.
“She’ll wear it dirty.”
He nodded.
That answer stayed with him.
His phone rang.
Marcus.
Frank looked at the screen.
Anna saw the name.
“You can answer.”
Frank stepped into the backyard before he did.
The afternoon had dimmed.
The muddy patch had begun to settle, its surface smoother now except where Frank’s shoes had sunk earlier.
Marcus spoke immediately.
“We have a problem.”
Frank looked toward the gate.
“What kind?”
“One of the neighbors posted something.”
Frank closed his eyes.
“Video?”
“Not the camera footage.”
“What then?”
“A photo from the ambulance.”
Frank turned toward the house.
Through the glass, he could see Anna rinsing the tiny pink dress.
“Who posted it?”
“Unknown account at first.”
“At first?”
“It got picked up.”
Frank was quiet.
“How far?”
“Local.”
“That means nothing.”
“Local for now.”
Frank looked at the muddy ground.
“What does the post say?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Older man assaults family members in front of toddler.”
Frank rubbed his thumb across the edge of his phone.
“Any names?”
“Comments have yours.”
“Of course.”
“Somebody recognized you.”
Frank heard the old instinct before he acted on it.
Find the account.
Contact the platform.
Call counsel.
Get ahead of it.
Control the language.
Offer a cleaner version before the ugly one multiplied.
He breathed once.
“Do nothing.”
Marcus was silent.
“Frank.”
“Nothing.”
“You should at least preserve screenshots.”
“That’s fine.”
“And legal should be notified.”
“For preservation only.”
“Understood.”
“No takedown requests.”
Marcus paused.
“No calls to anyone?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
Frank could hear that Marcus did not like it.
That mattered.
Marcus had worked for him long enough to recognize self-sabotage disguised as principle.
“Tell me if the actual footage gets posted.”
Frank ended the call.
Anna was standing in the open doorway.
“How bad?”
He did not ask how much she heard.
“Someone posted a photo.”
“Of what?”
“The ambulance.”
Her face tightened.
“With Lily?”
“I don’t know.”
“Find out.”
Frank called Marcus back immediately.
“Is Lily visible?”
Marcus answered at once.
“Yes, but her face isn’t clear.”
Anna heard.
“That needs to come down.”
Frank looked at her.
“You want me to make calls?”
“I want my daughter off the internet.”
There was no hesitation now.
Frank said, “Marcus, prioritize the child’s image.”
Anna stepped closer.
“No threats.”
Frank relayed it.
“No threats, no pressure, no favors.”
Marcus said, “Understood.”
“And nothing about me.”
“Only the child.”
“Yes.”
He ended the call.
Anna folded her arms.
“That’s different.”
“I know.”
“You don’t get points for knowing.”
“I know that too.”
She almost smiled.
Then her expression shifted.
“What happens if people start calling?”
“They will.”
“Reporters?”
“Maybe.”
“Dad.”
Frank looked at her.
“I’m not built for that.”
He heard the fear now.
Not fear of cameras.
Fear of being absorbed into someone else’s public identity.
He nodded.
“You don’t speak to anyone.”
“That sounds like an order.”
“It was.”
Anna stared at him.
Frank caught himself.
“Sorry.”
She waited.
“What I mean is, you don’t owe anyone an answer.”
“Better.”
“If someone calls, you can hang up.”
“What if they come here?”
“I can have security outside.”
Anna’s face closed immediately.
Frank corrected.
“If you want.”
She looked past him toward the gate.
“No suits.”
“Okay.”
“No black cars sitting outside.”
“Okay.”
“No people who scare the neighbors.”
“That eliminates most people I know.”
Anna looked at him.
Frank raised one hand.
“Bad joke.”
“It was a little funny.”
He nodded.
“I can arrange someone discreet.”
She thought about it.
“Not yet.”
“Okay.”
Daniel appeared behind her.
“What’s happening?”
Anna told him.
His face changed.
“Seriously?”
Frank nodded.
Daniel pulled out his phone.
Anna pointed at him.
“No.”
“I’m checking.”
“No.”
“I want to know what they’re saying.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m in it.”
“That is exactly why.”
Daniel looked at Frank as though expecting support.
Frank said, “She’s right.”
Daniel stared.
“This is getting creepy.”
He put the phone away anyway.
Anna looked at both of them.
“Neither of you is going to respond.”
Daniel said, “I wasn’t planning to.”
“You respond to restaurant reviews.”
“Only dishonest ones.”
“You argued with a guy about mozzarella for three days.”
“He said it was frozen.”
Frank looked between them.
“Was it?”
Daniel looked offended.
“No.”
Anna groaned.
“Please do not encourage him.”
The doorbell rang again.
All three went still.
Daniel said, “If that’s another neighbor, I’m moving.”
Anna looked through the front window.
Her posture changed.
“It’s Mom.”
Daniel muttered something that was probably not suitable for Lily.
Anna walked toward the door.
Frank stayed back.
Daniel did not.
Evelyn stood on the porch without her handbag.
Her coat was open now.
The bruise on her cheek had darkened.
Anna opened the door but did not invite her inside.
Evelyn looked at Frank over Anna’s shoulder.
“I need to speak with you.”
Frank said, “Me?”
“Yes.”
Anna folded her arms.
“Why?”
Evelyn looked at her daughter.
“Because this concerns something you do not know.”
Daniel said, “That’s dramatic.”
Evelyn ignored him.
Frank walked closer but stopped several feet from the door.
“You can say it here.”
“No.”
“Then don’t say it.”
Evelyn’s expression sharpened.
May you like
“You think this is some performance?”
Frank said nothing.
