Chương 5
The sound loosened something in his chest.
Then the kitchen phone rang.
Not his cell phone.
The old landline mounted beside the pantry.
Vincent stared at it.
Nobody called that number except people who had known him long enough to ignore the fact that landlines had become archaeological objects.
He stood and answered.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice said, “Mr. Moretti?”
“Yes.”
“This is Detective Alvarez with the county sheriff’s office.”
Vincent looked at Lily.
She had gone back to eating.
“Yes.”
“We received a report regarding an incident this afternoon at Daniel Mercer’s residence.”
Vincent leaned against the wall.
“I expected that.”
“I’d like to speak with you tonight if possible.”
“About me hitting Vanessa.”
There was a brief pause.
“Among other things.”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
“What other things?”
“I’d rather discuss that in person.”
Lily looked up.
Vincent turned slightly away.
“Where?”
“We can come to your residence.”
“No.”
“Is there a reason?”
“My granddaughter is here.”
“That’s actually part of why I’m calling.”
Vincent’s grip tightened around the receiver.
“She’s four.”
“I understand.”
“What exactly did Vanessa tell you?”
“Mr. Moretti, I’m not going to conduct the interview by phone.”
His old instinct told him to push.
His better instinct told him pushing could make everything worse.
“When?”
“We can be there in about thirty minutes.”
Vincent looked at Lily again.
She was humming under her breath.
“Fine.”
He hung up.
Lily stopped humming.
“Who was it?”
“A police officer.”
Her eyes widened.
“Because you hit Vanessa?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to jail?”
Vincent paused.
“I don’t know.”
Her lower lip trembled.
He crossed the kitchen before she could start crying and crouched beside her.
“Listen to me.”
She gripped the edge of his shirt.
“What I did was wrong.”
“But she hit me.”
“I know.”
“So you can hit her.”
“No.”
Lily stared at him.
“That’s confusing.”
“It is.”
Vincent rubbed one hand over his jaw.
“I should have protected you without hitting anybody.”
“How?”
“That’s what I should have figured out.”
Her forehead creased.
Adults had spent her whole life presenting rules as if they were simple.
Now the largest man she knew was telling her they sometimes failed to use them.
“Will the police be mad?”
“They may be.”
“Are you scared?”
Vincent almost said no.
Then he stopped.
“A little.”
Lily studied his face, apparently checking whether that was possible.
“Do grandpas get scared?”
“All the good ones do.”
The doorbell rang twenty-five minutes later.
Vincent had changed nothing about the house except moving the syrup bottle farther from the edge of the counter.
He had considered sending Lily upstairs.
He had considered calling Daniel.
He had considered calling an attorney he had known for twenty years.
In the end he did none of those things.
The officer at the door was a woman in her forties with tired eyes and dark hair pulled into a low bun.
A younger male deputy stood several feet behind her.
“Vincent Moretti?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Detective Elena Alvarez.”
She showed identification.
Vincent let them in.
Lily was on the couch watching an animated movie with the volume low.
Alvarez noticed her immediately.
“Is that Lily Mercer?”
“Yes.”
“Hello, Lily.”
Lily looked at Vincent before answering.
“Hi.”
Alvarez did not approach her.
That earned Vincent’s attention.
“Can we speak somewhere private?” she asked.
Vincent gestured toward the dining room.
The younger deputy remained near the foyer while Alvarez sat across from Vincent at the table.
A legal pad appeared from her folder.
“You understand I’m investigating an allegation of assault.”
“I slapped Vanessa.”
“You’re admitting that.”
“Yes.”
“And you struck Daniel Mercer.”
“He rushed me.”
“Did he strike you first?”
“No.”
“Did he threaten you verbally?”
“No.”
“Did he raise a weapon?”
“No.”
Alvarez wrote something.
Vincent watched her pen.
“I hit him once.”
“I understand.”
“He stopped.”
“Because you hit him.”
“Yes.”
Alvarez looked up.
“I’m not asking whether you believe you had a moral reason.”
Vincent leaned back.
“I know.”
“I’m asking what happened.”
“I told you.”
“You told me the part you’re comfortable owning.”
That irritated him.
His jaw tightened.
Alvarez noticed.
“What part am I not owning?”
“You arrived, saw your granddaughter upset, confronted two adults, struck both of them, and left with the child.”
“Daniel let her go.”
“Did he explicitly give permission?”
Vincent replayed the patio.
Daniel had objected.
Then Lily had asked why he had not helped her.
After that, everything had shifted.
“No.”
“So technically, he objected.”
“He didn’t stop me.”
“That’s different.”
Vincent said nothing.
Alvarez turned the page.
“Vanessa Mercer alleges that you threatened her before striking her.”
“I didn’t.”
“She says you told her she would regret touching Lily.”
“I never said that.”
“Did Daniel hear the exchange?”
“He was there.”
“And he gave a statement.”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
“What did he say?”
“I’m not going to compare statements for you.”
“Then why mention it?”
“To establish that there are multiple witnesses.”
Vincent leaned forward.
“So ask him whether I threatened her.”
“I have.”
“And?”
Alvarez capped her pen.
“Mr. Moretti, you appear to be very concerned with whether her account makes you look worse.”
“I’m concerned with whether she’s lying.”
“Those are not the same thing?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because if she’s willing to lie about me tonight, I need to know what she’s willing to lie about with Lily.”
Alvarez watched him for a moment.
“That’s the other thing I wanted to discuss.”
Vincent went still.
She lowered her voice.
“Vanessa made a separate allegation.”
He felt the room contract.
“What allegation?”
“That Lily has become increasingly aggressive toward her.”
Vincent almost laughed.
He did not.
“What does that mean?”
“She claims Lily kicks, bites, and throws objects when disciplined.”
“She’s four.”
“I’m aware.”
“She didn’t do any of that today.”
“Vanessa says she grabbed the towel first.”
Vincent stared at her.
“That’s a lie.”
“You saw the entire incident?”
“I saw Vanessa strike her.”
“Before that?”
Vincent thought back.
The gate.
May you like
The scream.
The cookie already on the patio.
