Chương 3
Claire glanced toward Lily.
“Why would she have the bottle?”
Sarah did not answer.
Claire had always disliked answers that were softer than facts.
“You think he gave it to her.”
“I heard what she said.”
“So did I.”
“She’s eight.”
“She’s also not stupid.”
“I didn’t say she was.”
“No, you’re doing that thing.”
Sarah looked at her.
“What thing?”
“The thing where you make five possibilities because one possibility hurts too much.”
Sarah leaned back.
The plastic chair creaked.
“You’ve been waiting four years to say something like that.”
Claire’s jaw tightened.
“That’s not fair.”
“No.”
“It isn’t.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Claire stood and walked to the window.
There was no view worth looking at. Only another hospital wing and a strip of gray rooftop.
Sarah watched her sister fold and unfold her arms.
“Say it,” Sarah said.
Claire turned.
“I don’t want to do this here.”
“Then don’t.”
“You asked.”
“I know.”
Claire rubbed her forehead.
“I never thought Daniel would hurt Lily.”
Sarah looked at the sleeping child.
“What did you think he would do?”
“Lie.”
“About?”
“Money.”
Sarah blinked.
Claire immediately shook her head. “I don’t know anything. Not enough to accuse him of anything.”
“Claire.”
“Six months ago he asked me whether you still had the investment account from Dad.”
Sarah’s fingers stopped moving.
“What?”
“He said you two were consolidating finances.”
“We weren’t.”
“I know that now.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“You were getting married.”
“That would have been a useful time.”
Claire flinched.
Sarah hated herself for enjoying it.
Only for a second.
Then she hated that too.
“He asked how much was in it?” Sarah said.
“Not directly.”
“What did he ask?”
“Whether Dad had left restrictions on it. Whether you could move the money yourself or needed approval.”
Sarah stared at her sister.
“You had this conversation and decided it wasn’t worth mentioning?”
“I mentioned it.”
“When?”
“At Thanksgiving.”
“You said he asked too many questions about Dad’s estate.”
“Yes.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“You told me I was suspicious of him because he worked in real estate and wore expensive shoes.”
Sarah looked down.
She remembered.
Claire had said Daniel treated confidence like a job requirement.
Sarah had told her to stop being mean.
It had ended with Claire going outside to help Lily find a missing glove.
“You should have been clearer,” Sarah said.
Claire gave a humorless laugh.
“And you should’ve wanted to hear it.”
They stared at each other.
Then Lily murmured.
Both women moved at once.
Her eyes opened.
“Aunt Sarah?”
“I’m here.”
“Did I ruin it?”
Sarah stopped.
“What?”
“The wedding.”
Claire sat on the edge of the bed.
“Oh, baby.”
Lily’s eyes filled.
“I tried to tell you before.”
Sarah took her hand carefully, avoiding the IV tape.
“You didn’t ruin anything.”
“But everybody was looking.”
“I know.”
“Uncle Daniel is mad.”
Sarah’s throat tightened.
“Did he say that?”
Lily hesitated.
Claire looked at Sarah, then back at her daughter.
“You’re not in trouble,” Claire said.
“I know.”
“Not with us. Not with anybody.”
Lily looked toward the door.
Sarah lowered her voice.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Claire started to interrupt.
Sarah touched her arm.
“We can stop anytime.”
Lily swallowed.
“He was in your room.”
“What room?”
“The room with your dress stuff.”
The bridal suite.
Sarah had left her phone there for twenty minutes before the ceremony because the battery was low.
“What was he doing?”
Lily picked at the edge of her blanket.
“He had your phone.”
Sarah felt the chair beneath her become very hard.
“What was on it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Was he talking to someone?”
Lily nodded.
“What did he say?”
Claire said, “Sarah.”
“I’m asking what she remembers.”
Lily’s forehead wrinkled.
“He said Monday.”
Sarah waited.
“And he said they couldn’t call you.”
“Who couldn’t?”
“I don’t know.”
“What else?”
“He said he could move it today.”
Sarah stopped breathing.
Lily looked frightened by her face.
Sarah forced herself to soften it.
“You’re doing fine.”
“I told him you don’t like people touching your phone.”
Despite everything, Claire made a small choking sound that might have been a laugh.
Sarah covered her mouth.
That was exactly the sort of thing Lily would say.
“What did Daniel do?”
“He said it was grown-up stuff.”
“And then?”
“I said I was going to tell you.”
Lily looked at her mother.
Claire nodded.
“He got weird.”
Sarah waited.
Lily’s fingers tightened around the blanket.
“He closed the door.”
Claire went completely still.
Sarah felt cold beneath the borrowed hospital clothing.
“Did he lock it?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Did he touch you?”
“No.”
“Anywhere?”
“No.”
Claire exhaled.
“He said I was making things hard.”
Sarah closed her eyes for half a second.
Lily continued.
“Then he said I was nervous because I had to do the flowers.”
“Were you?”
“A little.”
“Okay.”
“He said he had medicine for being nervous.”
Claire’s hand covered her mouth.
Sarah did not move.
“He gave me one.”
“From the bottle?”
Lily nodded.
“Did he tell you what it was?”
“No.”
“Did he tell you to take it?”
Another nod.
“How?”
“He said just swallow it with water.”
“Where did you get water?”
“There was a bottle on the table.”
Sarah pictured the bridal suite.
The tray of sparkling water.
The makeup brushes.
The flowers.
Her phone connected to a charger beside the mirror.
“What happened to the medicine bottle?”
“He put it in my pocket.”
“Why?”
“He said people would ask questions if they saw it.”
Lily frowned, trying to remember.
“Then he said it would keep me quiet until after.”
Claire stood.
The chair struck the wall behind her.
Lily jumped.
Claire immediately sat again.
“Sorry. Sorry, sweetheart.”
Sarah’s eyes burned.
Lily stared at her.
“He told me not to tell you.”
“What did you do?”
“I said I would.”
Sarah almost smiled.
“Of course you did.”
May you like
“He said I was being a brat.”
Claire made a sound through her nose.
