Chương 5
"No."
My father answered this time.
"It wasn't a death certificate."
"I know," I said.
His eyes met mine.
"It was a private foundation declaration."
"Yes."
"You transferred my beneficiary interest."
"It was a family trust."
"My beneficiary interest."
"You had abandoned the family."
"I was twenty-nine."
"You disappeared."
"You told me never to contact you again."
My mother shook her head.
"We were angry."
"You changed the locks on my apartment."
"That apartment belonged to the foundation."
"You canceled my health insurance."
"You were no longer employed by the company."
"I never worked for your company."
My father opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Vanessa slowly sat down.
"You told me Claire wouldn't answer us."
My mother looked at her.
"She wouldn't."
"You told me you tried."
"We did."
"No."
Vanessa's voice dropped.
"You told me you went to Norfolk looking for her."
My mother looked away.
That was enough.
Vanessa's face changed.
"You never went."
"Vanessa, there were circumstances you didn't understand."
"I was twenty-four."
"You were starting your career."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"We were protecting you."
"From my sister?"
My mother didn't answer.
Vanessa looked at me.
I saw the question forming before she asked it.
"Did you call me?"
I had waited seven years for that question.
Now that it had arrived, I wished it hadn't.
"Twice."
Her mouth opened.
"When?"
"The week I left Richmond."
"I never got anything."
"I know."
"How do you know?"
"Because the second time, Mom answered your phone."
Vanessa turned slowly.
My mother closed her eyes.
"What did you say to her?"
My mother whispered, "I don't remember."
"I do."
My voice sounded strange in my own ears.
"You told me Vanessa wanted nothing to do with me."
Vanessa stared at her.
My mother pressed her fingers against her forehead.
"I was trying to keep the situation contained."
"Contained?"
Vanessa stood so quickly the chair nearly fell.
"She was my sister."
"She was under investigation."
"No, she wasn't."
Ethan said it quietly.
Everyone turned toward him.
"Claire was never under investigation."
My father looked at him with naked fury.
Ethan swallowed.
"The office opened a preliminary personnel review based partly on what I said."
He looked at me.
"It lasted nine days."
My heart began beating harder.
This was new.
"What happened?"
"They found no evidence of misconduct."
I stared at him.
Ethan's face crumpled slightly.
"And Charles asked me not to tell you."
My father slammed his palm onto the table.
"Enough."
Lily jumped.
That ended whatever patience I had left.
I stood.
"Don't do that in front of my daughter."
My father stared at me.
For once, I didn't recognize the expression on his face.
It wasn't anger.
It was panic.
He looked toward the envelope.
Then toward Governor Pierce.
Then toward Ethan.
"You have no idea what you're doing."
"Then explain it."
"You think this is about money?"
He pointed at the old analysis.
"You found eleven contractors."
"Yes."
"There were twelve."
Governor Pierce went very still.
Ethan whispered, "Charles."
My father looked at me.
The panic was gone now.
What replaced it was worse.
"Bellweather wasn't protecting me, Claire."
He swallowed.
"It was protecting your mother."
My mother looked at my father as if he had struck her.
"What did you just say?"
He didn't answer her.
He kept looking at me.
For seven years, I had imagined a hundred versions of the truth, and none of them had included my mother sitting beneath a chandelier with her hands suddenly limp in her lap.
Governor Pierce stepped closer to the table.
"Mr. Bennett, explain."
My father laughed once.
It was a dry, exhausted sound.
"That's what everyone keeps saying tonight."
"Because you keep giving us reasons."
He rubbed his forehead.
The gesture made him look older than sixty.
"Bellweather Municipal Strategies wasn't created to hide money for me."
My mother stood.
"Charles, stop."
He looked at her.
"No."
Her face tightened.
"You don't get to do this."
"You slapped her in front of the governor."
"Don't you dare make this about that."
"What should I make it about, Diane?"
His voice rose for the first time.
"The seven years of lies?"
My mother stepped toward him.
"You agreed."
"I agreed to protect the family."
"You agreed to protect me."
My father's jaw tightened.
"At first."
Vanessa looked between them.
"What did Mom do?"
Neither answered.
She slammed her hand against the table.
"What did she do?"
Lily jumped again.
I immediately regretted not leaving with her five minutes earlier.
I crouched beside her.
"Sweetheart, I need you to go with Mr. Pierce for a little while."
"No."
"Lily."
"No."
Her fingers closed around my wrist.
"I want to stay with you."
I lowered my voice.
"You're staying nearby."
Her eyes filled.
"Is Grandma going to hit you again?"
My mother made a small sound.
I didn't look at her.
"No."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Daniel Pierce approached carefully.
"I know where the kitchen keeps the emergency ice cream."
Lily studied him.
"Emergency?"
"The very serious kind."
"What flavor?"
"That information may be classified."
She almost smiled.
Almost.
I kissed her forehead.
She hesitated, then let Daniel take her hand.
As they walked away, she looked back twice.
The second time, my mother looked away.
The moment Lily disappeared through the side corridor, the room changed.
Nobody had to pretend this was a family disagreement anymore.
Governor Pierce folded her arms.
"Now."
My father stared at the table.
"Bellweather started as a legitimate consulting company."
My mother shook her head.
"Don't."
He ignored her.
"Diane's brother Michael needed somewhere to park a group of municipal contracts after his firm lost its insurance eligibility."
Vanessa frowned.
"Uncle Michael?"
"Yes."
"Mom told us he sold his company."
"He did."
"After?"
"After some problems."
My mother stepped closer.
"Michael is dead."
My father looked at her.
"That doesn't make him innocent."
The cruelty in the sentence surprised me.
May you like
So did the relief beneath it.
My father had been waiting to say these things.
