Chương 2
Now her mother had knowingly accused Lily of theft.
Her son had stolen two hundred dollars.
Her younger sister had apparently watched some part of this happen.
And Lily had spent however long believing nobody in the room intended to protect her.
Rachel faced them again.
“Sit down.”
Evelyn folded her arms.
“I am not one of your children.”
“Then act like an adult and sit down.”
Claire moved first, guiding Sophie toward the gray sofa. Sophie climbed onto the cushion and tucked both feet beneath her dress. Noah sat on the far edge, elbows on his knees.
Evelyn remained standing.
Rachel ignored her.
She crouched in front of Lily.
“Did Grandma hurt you?”
Lily shook her head.
Rachel waited.
Lily looked toward Evelyn and then down.
“She grabbed the dress.”
“Anywhere else?”
“No.”
“Did she hit you?”
“No.”
Rachel nodded once. “Okay.”
It was not okay. She knew that. Lily knew that. But the word gave them somewhere to put the next breath.
Rachel picked up the birthday dress.
It was pale yellow, printed with tiny white flowers, the skirt wrinkled now where Evelyn had shoved it into the basket. Lily had chosen it three weeks earlier after rejecting six others. She had liked this one because, she said, it looked “nice but not like I’m trying to marry somebody.”
Rachel had laughed so hard in the fitting room that the sales clerk had laughed too.
Now Lily watched her smooth the fabric.
“Do you want me to put this in your room?”
Lily nodded.
Rachel folded it once and laid it on the stairs, away from everyone.
Then she looked at Noah.
“Start at the beginning.”
His lips pressed together.
“Noah.”
“I don’t know.”
“You just told me you stole two hundred dollars.”
“I know.”
“So you know something.”
Evelyn made a small sound of impatience.
Rachel turned her head.
“Do not help him.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were about to.”
“You have no idea what I was about to say.”
“For once in your life, Mom, let someone else finish a sentence.”
The words came out harder than Rachel intended.
Claire looked down.
Evelyn’s face became expressionless.
Rachel turned back to Noah.
“When did you take it?”
“This morning.”
“What time?”
“I don’t know.”
“Before breakfast? After?”
“After.”
“Where was Grandma?”
“In the kitchen.”
Evelyn spoke. “I was upstairs.”
Noah looked at her.
Rachel did too.
Evelyn corrected herself without visible embarrassment.
“I came downstairs and found him near my handbag.”
“Near it?” Rachel asked.
Noah whispered, “With it.”
“With what?”
“The money.”
Rachel sat back on her heels.
“You had the cash in your hand?”
He nodded.
“And Grandma saw you?”
Another nod.
“What happened next?”
Noah rubbed both palms over his shorts.
“She asked what I was doing.”
“And?”
“I said nothing.”
“And?”
“She told me to put it back.”
Rachel waited.
“I was going to.”
“You didn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?”
Noah stared toward the front door.
Because he was ten, guilt did not make him look noble. It made him irritated. His shoulders climbed. His mouth twisted.
“I don’t know.”
Rachel almost snapped at him.
She stopped herself.
“I’ll ask differently. What did you want the money for?”
Silence.
Sophie spoke from the sofa.
“Can I have water?”
Claire jumped up so fast it was almost comic.
“Yes. Yeah. Of course.”
She hurried toward the kitchen.
Rachel watched her go.
Evelyn did too.
That small escape told Rachel more than Claire probably realized.
“Sophie, stay where I can see you.”
Claire stopped.
“I was just getting her water.”
“I know. Bring it back.”
Claire nodded and disappeared around the corner.
Rachel looked at Noah again.
“What was the money for?”
His eyes filled, but he was angry enough to hold the tears back.
“A bike.”
Rachel blinked.
“What bike?”
“The blue one.”
“What blue one?”
“The one Owen’s brother is selling.”
Rachel searched her memory. Owen lived two streets over. His older brother was fifteen or sixteen and perpetually rebuilding bicycles in their driveway.
“You were going to buy a bike from a teenager?”
“It’s not just a bike.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s a dirt jumper.”
Rachel almost asked what a dirt jumper was, then decided the distinction could wait.
“How much?”
“One eighty.”
“So you stole two hundred dollars.”
“I was going to give the rest back.”
Evelyn laughed once.
Not loudly. Worse than loudly.
Noah’s face burned.
Rachel turned on her.
“Stop.”
“I said nothing.”
“You didn’t need to.”
Claire returned with a plastic cup of water. Sophie took it in both hands.
Rachel looked at her sister.
“How much did you see?”
Claire froze.
Evelyn said, “Rachel.”
“I asked Claire.”
Claire sat beside Sophie.
“I came downstairs after.”
“After what?”
“After your mom found him.”
“Our mom.”
Claire gave a miserable nod.
“After Mom found Noah.”
“And?”
“She was talking to him.”
“What was she saying?”
Claire rubbed her forehead.
“Rachel, I don’t remember every word.”
“You remember enough.”
“I remember she was angry.”
“That narrows it down to the last sixty-eight years.”
Evelyn’s face flashed.
Claire closed her eyes briefly.
Rachel regretted the line almost as soon as she said it, not because it was entirely false but because Lily was standing three feet away hearing it.
She lowered her voice.
“Did you know Noah took the money?”
“Yes.”
Lily made a tiny noise.
Rachel turned.
Her daughter had been quiet so long that Rachel had almost mistaken silence for stability.
“You knew?” Lily whispered.
Claire looked at her.
“Lily—”
“You knew?”
Claire’s eyes filled.
“Yes.”
Lily took one step backward.
Rachel reached for her, but Lily moved away from everyone instead.
That hurt more.
“When?” Rachel asked Claire.
“This morning.”
“So before the money was found in Lily’s backpack.”
“Yes.”
“Did you see Noah put it there?”
“No.”
“Did Mom?”
Claire looked at Evelyn.
May you like
Evelyn said, “I did not.”
“Then explain something to me.” Rachel stood. “You catch my son stealing your money. Later your money appears in my daughter’s backpack. And somehow you decide the seven-year-old is the thief?”
