Chương 2
It only made the lie stop working.
What came next was harder.
Three hours earlier, Caroline had been upstairs in her dressing room complaining that the clasp on her necklace was loose.
Lily knew because she had been sitting on the bedroom carpet drawing a horse with wings on the back of an old hotel notepad.
Caroline did not like Lily sitting in the dressing room.
She did not say so directly.
Caroline almost never said unpleasant things directly.
She would look at Lily’s socks on the rug and say, “Sweetheart, wouldn’t you be more comfortable in your room?”
Or she would look at the crayons and say, “Those can stain limestone, you know.”
Or she would simply call Maria.
That afternoon, though, Caroline had let her stay.
Lily had assumed it was because her father was working from home.
The house felt different when Ethan was there during the day. Doors stayed open. Caroline smiled more. Lunch happened at the kitchen island instead of on trays. Maria hummed while polishing the silver.
Lily liked days when her father was home even though he spent most of them behind the study door talking about numbers.
“You’re making the wings too small,” Caroline said.
Lily looked up.
Caroline stood at the long mirror fastening the necklace around her throat.
“They’re not small.”
“They are for that horse.”
“It’s not a horse.”
“What is it?”
“A sky horse.”
Caroline smiled at her reflection.
“Well, obviously.”
Lily bent over the drawing again.
She did not see Caroline remove the necklace.
She only heard the clasp click.
Then Caroline said, “Maria?”
Maria appeared in the doorway carrying a stack of folded towels.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“I need the blue jewelry box from the safe.”
Maria hesitated.
“The sapphire case?”
“Yes.”
Maria put down the towels.
Caroline glanced at Lily.
“Why don’t you go find your grandmother?”
Lily did not want to find Grandmother Eleanor.
Eleanor was in the library reading something about municipal elections and had already told Lily twice that afternoon that seven-year-olds were perfectly capable of entertaining themselves.
“I’m drawing.”
“In your room, then.”
Lily looked at the carpet.
Caroline waited.
That was one of her skills.
Waiting until the other person gave up.
Lily gathered her crayons.
As she passed Maria in the doorway, Maria gave her a look Lily did not understand.
Not then.
Later she would remember it.
At the time, Lily only thought Maria looked worried about something.
Twenty minutes after that, Caroline’s necklace was missing.
The entire second floor became tense.
Caroline checked the dressing table.
Then the bathroom.
Then the closet.
She asked Maria whether she had moved it.
Maria said no.
Caroline asked again.
Maria repeated the answer.
The second time, she sounded offended.
Ethan came upstairs when he heard the voices.
“What’s wrong?”
“My necklace.”
“What about it?”
“It’s gone.”
“What do you mean gone?”
Caroline turned toward him.
“The necklace I was wearing. I put it down right there.”
Ethan looked at the empty place beside the mirror.
“The diamond one?”
“The anniversary necklace.”
Lily had been standing in the hallway with her drawing pressed to her chest.
She had heard enough to know she was not supposed to be listening.
That had never stopped her.
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck.
“Did you check the safe?”
“I know where I put my jewelry.”
“I’m not saying you don’t.”
“It was here.”
Maria came out of the closet.
“It is not in there.”
Caroline’s head turned sharply.
Nobody spoke.
Then Caroline looked toward Lily.
Not immediately.
That was what Lily remembered later.
There had been a pause.
A small one.
Perhaps a second.
Perhaps less.
But Caroline had looked at Maria first.
Then at Ethan.
Only then at Lily.
“Sweetheart,” she said, “were you playing with anything on the table?”
Lily felt embarrassed before she felt accused.
“No.”
“You were right here.”
“I was drawing.”
“I know. I’m just asking.”
“I didn’t touch it.”
Caroline’s smile became patient.
“Okay.”
Ethan walked past them and checked beneath the dressing table.
“Maybe it fell.”
“It didn’t fall.”
“Caroline.”
“It didn’t.”
He exhaled.
“Fine. We’ll look.”
For the next half hour, people looked.
Maria checked drawers.
Ethan checked beneath furniture.
Caroline called two housekeepers downstairs and asked whether either of them had entered the room.
Neither had.
The gardener was asked whether he had seen anyone near the east terrace.
He had not.
Security reviewed the upstairs hallway camera.
Nothing unusual.
At 5:43, Caroline suggested they check Lily’s room.
She did it reluctantly.
That was how she made it sound.
“I hate even saying this.”
Lily had been sitting on the edge of her bed.
Her stomach had already started hurting.
Ethan stood in the doorway.
“Why would we check Lily’s room?”
“I don’t know.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“She was in the dressing room.”
“So were you.”
Caroline gave him a look.
“Ethan.”
“No. If you’re suggesting something, say it.”
Caroline folded her arms.
“I’m suggesting children pick things up.”
“I didn’t.”
Nobody looked at Lily.
That made her louder.
“I didn’t.”
Caroline nodded.
“All right.”
Maria appeared at the end of the hall.
Her face had changed.
Lily saw it.
She was pale.
“What?” Ethan asked.
Maria looked at Caroline.
Caroline looked back.
Then Maria said, “Nothing.”
Lily would think about that word for weeks.
Nothing.
A word people used when something was too dangerous to say.
Ethan finally agreed to let Caroline look.
He stood in the room the entire time.
So did Lily.
Caroline did not search wildly.
She checked the desk.
The small closet.
The toy chest.
Then the bed.
She lifted one pillow.
Then another.
Then pulled back the pale-yellow quilt.
The black velvet pouch sat near the foot of the mattress.
Lily stared at it.
The room seemed to tilt.
Caroline touched the pouch but did not pick it up.
“Oh my God.”
“I didn’t put that there.”
Ethan looked at Lily.
Not accusing.
Not yet.
May you like
Just looking.
That hurt anyway.
