Chương 8
“We are now going to establish a new rule.”
“I am not five.”
“The rule is that you do not communicate with any person on Earth except me until I tell you otherwise.”
“My mother won’t answer.”
“That does not change the rule.”
“She’s with Ava.”
“Probably.”
“Daniel has her.”
Nathan stared at Victoria for several seconds.
“Your mother is sixty-seven years old.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I actually don’t think I do.”
Victoria stood.
“He walked into that house like he owned it.”
“His wife was on the floor.”
“Nobody knew they were married.”
“Apparently they did.”
“You didn’t.”
“No. And unlike you, I do not consider not being told everything a personal attack.”
Victoria turned away.
Her throat hurt.
She had not slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ava’s bare foot searching for the stair.
That was not the part she told herself to remember.
She told herself to remember the moment before.
Ava had been angry.
Ava had refused to move.
Ava had stepped back.
Victoria had touched her shoulder.
Touched.
Not pushed.
If she could hold the word long enough, perhaps it would become true.
Nathan said, “The prosecution will care about your mother’s statement.”
“She’ll fix it.”
“Do not contact her about her testimony.”
“She’s my mother.”
“That makes it worse, not better.”
Victoria looked at him.
“You think I pushed her.”
Nathan’s expression did not change.
“I think what I believe is irrelevant.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I think you were angry. I think a pregnant woman fell down a staircase immediately after physical contact from you. I think you spoke to a gossip publisher afterward. I think your mother has given the police a statement that does not help you. I think you should begin treating this as a serious legal problem instead of a family argument you intend to win.”
Victoria sat again.
For the first time since the stairs, her fear became larger than her anger.
“What happens to me?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Could I go to jail?”
Nathan paused.
“Yes.”
Victoria’s face collapsed.
Nathan did not comfort her.
Ava was discharged the following afternoon with instructions to rest, monitor symptoms, and return immediately if anything changed.
Daniel took her home.
Not to the mansion.
Their house stood behind a line of old oaks in a quiet Maryland neighborhood where the properties were large enough to be private without looking like compounds.
Daniel’s security team had already changed the gate protocol.
Ava noticed before he mentioned it.
“You added people.”
“Temporarily.”
“How many?”
“Enough.”
“Daniel.”
“Four.”
She stared at him.
He looked straight ahead.
“I am eight months pregnant, not the secretary of defense.”
“The secretary of defense has substantially better security.”
“That is not comforting.”
“It was not meant to be.”
She wanted to argue.
Then she saw the two unfamiliar vehicles parked farther down the street.
Photographers.
Her anger shifted direction.
“All right,” she said.
Daniel glanced at her.
“Don’t enjoy that.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You enjoyed it internally.”
“I’m allowed private thoughts.”
Inside, the house looked exactly as it had two days earlier.
A mug sat upside down on the drying mat.
One of Daniel’s shoes was under the bench instead of inside it.
A grocery list remained attached to the refrigerator with a magnet shaped like a lobster Michael had bought in Maine years ago.
Ava stood in the kitchen and stared at the lobster.
Daniel put down the hospital bag.
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
She touched the magnet.
Then took it off.
Daniel waited.
Ava moved it to the side of the refrigerator.
Not hidden.
Just somewhere else.
She had no explanation.
She did not need one.
That night, Eleanor came to the house.
Daniel nearly refused to let her through the gate.
Ava watched him struggle with the decision.
“She’s not Victoria.”
“I know.”
“She gave a truthful statement.”
“I know.”
“She’s also seventy pounds lighter than you.”
“That is not the relevant metric.”
“Let her in.”
He did.
Eleanor arrived carrying soup.
Not homemade.
Ava knew because Eleanor had never made soup in her life and the containers bore the label of a restaurant three blocks from the Bennett mansion.
“You didn’t have to bring food,” Ava said.
“I didn’t know what else people bring.”
“Usually casseroles.”
“I dislike casseroles.”
“That may be the first thing we completely agree on.”
Eleanor set the bag down.
For a few minutes, they talked about the baby.
Then Eleanor said, “Victoria asked me to change my statement.”
Daniel’s head lifted.
Ava remained still.
“How?” she asked.
“Voicemail.”
“Did you answer?”
“No.”
“What did she say?”
Eleanor looked at Daniel.
“This conversation stays here.”
He nodded.
“She said she did not intend to hurt you. She said you moved backward and she reached for you. She said if I tell the police I saw a push, I will destroy her life over one second.”
Ava’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
Daniel said nothing.
Eleanor looked tired again.
“I have spent most of today asking myself whether one second should destroy a life.”
Ava felt anger rise.
Then Eleanor continued.
“And I think that is the wrong question.”
The anger stopped.
Eleanor folded her napkin though nobody had eaten.
“The question is how many seconds I have spent making excuses for.”
Daniel looked away.
Ava watched Eleanor carefully.
Eleanor said, “I called the detective. I told her about the voicemail.”
“You gave them the recording?” Daniel asked.
“Yes.”
Ava leaned back.
“That won’t help Victoria.”
“No.”
“Are you all right with that?”
Eleanor’s mouth trembled.
“No.”
The honesty changed the room.
“I love my daughter,” Eleanor said. “I am furious with her. I am ashamed of her. I am ashamed of myself. I am frightened of what happens to her. I am frightened of what nearly happened to you. None of those feelings has been polite enough to wait for the others to finish.”
May you like
Ava stared at her.
For years, Eleanor had spoken in clean, finished sentences.
