Chương 5
After a moment he said, “What did Rachel say?”
Claire told him about the hallway conversation.
Daniel turned around slowly.
“You told her you were telling me tonight?”
“Yes.”
“And then you collapsed.”
“Yes.”
His face changed.
Claire immediately regretted telling him.
Not because it was untrue.
Because Daniel liked problems that had names.
Names could be confronted.
Names could be called.
Names could be blamed.
“Don’t,” Claire said.
“Don’t what?”
“Call her.”
“I wasn’t going to call her.”
“You’re holding your phone.”
“I’ve been holding my phone for an hour.”
“Daniel.”
“I’m not stupid.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
His thumb moved across the screen.
Claire held out her hand.
“Give me the phone.”
He stared at her.
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“You want to confiscate my phone?”
“For ten minutes.”
“Why?”
“Because the police are investigating.”
“She drugged you.”
“We don’t know that.”
“She had a motive.”
“So did your mother, if you believe I’m some evil daughter-in-law keeping her from Owen.”
“My mother does not think that.”
Claire gave him a look.
Daniel’s mouth tightened.
“She doesn’t.”
“She told me three weeks ago that I was making Owen dependent on me.”
“She meant because you’re the only one who gets him to sleep.”
“I know what she meant.”
“Then why make it sound worse?”
“Because tonight I accused her of poisoning our child, Daniel. I am aware our relationship has context.”
He sat down.
The anger drained out of him as quickly as it had come.
“I’m sorry.”
Claire looked at Owen.
“So am I.”
Near dawn, Dr. Patel returned.
The preliminary testing suggested that Claire and Evelyn had both been exposed to the same prescription sedative.
The doctor was careful with her language.
The amount in Claire appeared greater.
Evelyn’s exposure appeared smaller.
Neither woman was in immediate danger.
Owen showed no sign of exposure.
Daniel’s knees nearly gave out at the last sentence.
“What about the bottles?”
“The police collected them. The hospital isn’t testing evidence from the house.”
“So we don’t know.”
“Not yet.”
Claire stared at the ceiling.
“The cider.”
Dr. Patel nodded.
“That is one possibility.”
“Could somebody have put a pill in it?”
“It would depend on the medication and other factors. I don’t want to speculate beyond what we know.”
Claire appreciated her for that.
Daniel did not.
He wanted speculation.
He wanted a map.
He wanted to know whom to hate.
Evelyn was discharged late Friday afternoon.
Claire had been discharged three hours earlier.
They did not see each other.
Daniel asked whether Claire wanted him to drive by his mother’s house.
“No.”
He looked surprised.
“You sure?”
“No. But I don’t want to.”
That was enough.
They went home.
The first thing Claire did was throw away every bottle in the diaper bag.
Daniel found her at the kitchen sink.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know.”
She dropped another bottle into the trash.
“We can sterilize them.”
“I know.”
“They weren’t even the ones from the house.”
“I know.”
He stopped.
Claire gripped the edge of the counter.
“I know, Daniel.”
He nodded.
Then he took the trash bag out without saying anything else.
That night neither slept.
Owen slept six hours for the first time in weeks.
Under different circumstances they would have celebrated.
Instead Claire woke every forty minutes and put two fingers against his chest.
At three-thirteen, Daniel whispered, “He’s breathing.”
“I know.”
“You checked thirty seconds ago.”
“I know.”
“He’s okay.”
Claire looked across the darkness.
“Please stop saying that.”
Daniel was silent.
A minute later he said, “Okay.”
Saturday brought food.
Too much of it.
Susan left soup on the porch.
Anne brought banana bread from Evelyn’s freezer.
Daniel’s cousin Michael sent a grocery delivery that included diapers in the wrong size and six bottles of sparkling water nobody had asked for.
No one knew what to do, so they fed them.
Claire found the banana bread on the counter and laughed.
Daniel looked over from the couch.
“What?”
“Your mother sent us food after I accused her of poisoning our baby.”
“She didn’t send it.”
“It came from her freezer.”
“Anne brought it.”
“Still.”
Daniel watched her cut a slice.
“Are you going to eat that?”
Claire stopped.
His face immediately changed.
“I didn’t mean—”
She put down the knife.
There it was.
The new thing between them.
Not distrust exactly.
Something worse because it could pretend to be care.
Daniel stood.
“Claire.”
“Do you want to test it?”
“No.”
“Maybe we should send a piece to the police.”
“Stop.”
“You asked if I was going to eat it.”
“Because you barely ate yesterday.”
“That is not why.”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“You’re right.”
Claire waited.
“I’m sorry.”
She leaned against the counter.
“You’re doing it too.”
“Doing what?”
“Checking everything.”
Daniel looked toward Owen’s bassinet.
“I almost watched both of you—”
He stopped.
Claire waited.
Daniel’s throat moved.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
He looked at her.
For once he did not finish the sentence.
He sat at the table instead.
Claire cut the banana bread.
She gave him the first piece.
He ate it.
Neither of them joked about that.
Detective Vega called Sunday morning.
Testing on the drinks and bottles had begun, but results would not be immediate. The officers had also interviewed the guests.
“Did Rachel talk to you?” Claire asked.
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“I can’t walk you through another witness’s statement.”
“Did she mention the money?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
Claire sat straighter.
“What did she say?”
“That’s part of the investigation.”
“Detective.”
“I know this is frustrating.”
“No, you don’t.”
Vega let that pass.
“We need the screenshots you mentioned.”
Claire looked at Daniel.
He was standing across the kitchen holding Owen.
“You’ll get them.”
After the call, Daniel said, “What?”
“They want the bank screenshots.”
“Good.”
Claire did not answer.
“What?”
“Your mother asked me not to share them.”
Daniel stared at her.
“Claire.”
“I know.”
May you like
“She was drugged.”
“I know.”
