Chương 14
"He said, 'Not anymore.'"
Claire looked toward the kitchen.
Liam had rebuilt his cracker tower.
This one was smaller.
More stable.
He set the final cracker on top and whispered to himself, "There."
Claire stood so abruptly Mara reached for her.
"Where are you going?"
"Nowhere."
Claire pressed both hands against her ribs.
"I just can't sit."
Dana watched her.
Claire paced to the window.
Outside, the street was blue with early evening.
A porch light came on across the road.
A delivery van rolled slowly past.
She pressed her forehead against the cool glass.
Jeffrey had not forgotten.
The excuse she had despised ten minutes ago was suddenly something she wished were true.
Claire stayed at the window until Dana's phone rang again.
This time Dana answered in the kitchen.
Claire could hear only her side of the conversation.
"Yes."
A pause.
"Understood."
Another pause.
"No, the child is not there."
Claire turned.
Dana's eyes met hers from across the room.
"Yes, she's with me."
The call lasted less than two minutes.
When it ended, Dana walked back into the living room.
"The officers are at Jeffrey's house."
Claire's stomach tightened.
"Is he there?"
"Yes."
"And Cynthia?"
"Yes."
Claire waited.
Dana did not immediately continue.
"What happened?"
"They're securing the security system and asking Jeffrey not to access or delete anything while they determine whether they can preserve the footage."
"Can he refuse?"
"He can refuse consent."
Claire looked at her.
"And?"
"They may have other legal options depending on what they establish."
Claire hated that every answer came wrapped in conditions.
She also understood why.
Mara came in from the kitchen carrying Liam.
He had fallen asleep against her shoulder.
His cheek rested on the inside-out cuff of her sweatshirt.
Claire reached for him automatically.
Mara transferred him carefully.
He stirred once and settled against Claire.
"Upstairs?"
Claire nodded.
She carried him to Mara's guest room.
The room had never been designed for a child.
There were two abstract prints on the wall, a basket of unfolded laundry in one corner, and a lamp with a bulb much too bright.
Mara dimmed it with a scarf tied loosely over the shade until Claire told her that was probably a fire hazard.
Mara sighed and removed it.
"Fine."
She found a small night-light in a bathroom drawer instead.
It cast a soft amber pool near the floor.
Liam opened his eyes when Claire lowered him onto the bed.
"Mommy."
"I'm here."
"Door."
Claire looked at it.
"Open."
He nodded.
She left it wide.
"Light."
"On."
He blinked slowly.
"Dino?"
"Tomorrow."
His eyes closed again.
Claire sat beside him until his breathing deepened.
When she finally returned downstairs, Dana was gathering her things.
"Do you need me to do anything else tonight?"
"Keep your phone on."
Claire nodded.
"Do not engage with Jeffrey if he comes here."
"I won't."
Dana hesitated.
"Claire."
"Yeah?"
"Whatever happens next, there may be delays."
Claire looked at her.
"There usually are."
"Yes."
"I don't care about fast."
Dana waited.
"I care about real."
Dana nodded.
"That's useful."
She left.
Mara locked the deadbolt, checked the back door twice, and then checked the windows because apparently anxiety had made her an amateur security consultant.
Claire sat at the kitchen table with her phone in front of her.
There were no new messages from Jeffrey.
That frightened her more than the earlier stream.
Mara put a mug of tea near her.
Claire looked at it.
"I don't want tea."
"I know."
"Then why?"
"Because making tea is the only thing I currently know how to do without committing a felony."
Claire wrapped both hands around the mug.
It was too hot.
She left it untouched.
At eight sixteen, Marilyn texted.
Police spoke with me.
Claire read it and waited.
Nothing else came.
She finally replied.
Are you at Nancy's?
Yes.
Are you safe?
Yes.
A third message appeared.
Dino is with me.
Claire closed her eyes.
Thank you.
Marilyn typed for almost a minute.
Then the indicator disappeared.
No message came.
Claire set the phone down.
Mara sat across from her.
"Do you hate her?"
Claire looked at the steam rising from the mug.
"Right now?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know."
Mara nodded.
"Fair."
"I hate what she did."
"Also fair."
"I think she hates what she did too."
Mara's mouth tightened.
"That doesn't fix it."
"No."
Claire looked toward the stairs.
"But it matters what she does next."
Mara leaned back.
"You sound very calm."
"I'm not."
"No."
Mara studied her.
"You look terrible."
Claire almost laughed.
"Thank you."
"You always accuse me of lying."
"Good point."
The phone rang at nine.
This time it was a police detective.
His name was Ellis.
He told Claire that officers had taken an initial report and that a detective would follow up formally the next morning.
Jeffrey had declined to provide voluntary access to the security account.
Claire's anger rose, but Ellis kept talking.
The officers had documented the visible camera, the utility-room door, the hallway, and the chair Marilyn had described.
The chair was in the garage.
Jeffrey claimed it had always been there.
Claire closed her eyes.
"Of course he did."
Ellis did not comment.
He asked Claire to preserve her original recording, texts, screenshots, and the photograph Jeffrey had sent.
He told her not to alter metadata if she could avoid it.
Claire said she would not.
Then she asked the question she had been afraid to ask.
"Are you arresting him?"
"Not tonight."
The answer landed hard.
Claire looked at Mara.
Mara's jaw tightened.
Ellis continued.
"This is still being investigated."
Claire felt frustration rise.
"He knew Liam was in there."
"We're looking into that."
"There's a witness."
"I understand."
"He watched him on camera."
"I understand."
Claire pressed her fingers to her forehead.
"No, I'm sorry."
She forced herself to slow down.
"I know you can't decide based on what I'm saying."
May you like
Ellis's voice softened slightly.
"We need to establish what can be supported."
