Chương 6
Nora said, “That came out wrong.”
“No, it didn’t.”
“I meant you shouldn’t be okay.”
“I understood.”
She exhaled.
“I gave my statement.”
“Thank you.”
“They asked about the flare locker and tender.”
“What did you say?”
“The truth.”
“Good.”
Another pause.
“There was something else.”
Daniel sat straighter.
“What?”
“Yesterday morning, Ms. Mercer asked me if there were life jackets in Lily’s size on the tender.”
His fingers tightened around the phone.
“Why didn’t you tell the officers?”
“I did.”
“Anything else?”
“She asked how far offshore we’d be by sunset.”
Daniel looked toward the sliding doors.
Outside, Lily’s inflatable pool floated empty and upside down.
“Nora.”
“Yes?”
“Did she ever ask questions like that before yesterday?”
“No.”
“Did she spend time alone with Lily?”
Nora hesitated.
“A few minutes after breakfast.”
Daniel stood.
“When?”
“You were on a call.”
“Where?”
“Upper lounge.”
“Why?”
“She asked me to bring ginger ale from the pantry.”
“You left them?”
“For maybe four minutes.”
Daniel pressed two fingers to his forehead.
“What happened?”
“Nothing I saw.”
“Did Lily say anything afterward?”
“She asked me whether the yacht could go to another country without stopping.”
Daniel went still.
Nora’s voice softened.
“I’m sorry.”
“No. You did your job.”
“I left her alone.”
“So did I.”
“That doesn’t make mine better.”
“No.”
He heard her breathe out.
Then Nora said, “I kept thinking about the photograph.”
“What about it?”
“She didn’t bring it from her purse.”
“Where did it come from?”
“I don’t know. But I saw her without it when she came upstairs.”
Daniel frowned.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“She could’ve had it in the dress.”
“The dress didn’t have pockets.”
“Then where?”
“That’s what I mean.”
Daniel looked toward the hallway.
Vivienne had stayed in the guest room for nine nights.
Her luggage had been taken by police after the yacht incident, but whatever she left in the house had not yet been collected.
“Did you tell police?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
“Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t search her room.”
He almost smiled.
“You know me surprisingly well.”
“They told you the same thing?”
“My lawyer told me six times.”
“Listen to her.”
Daniel ended the call.
Then he stood in the hallway staring at the closed guest-room door.
He did not open it.
That was possibly the most mature thing he accomplished all day.
Police arrived after lunch with a search warrant.
Lily sat on the kitchen floor building a block tower while two detectives went through the room where she had believed her mother slept.
Daniel hated every sound.
Drawers opening.
Closet doors sliding.
Paper bags rustling.
A camera shutter.
At one point a detective carried out a white envelope containing three old photographs.
Lily looked up.
“Those are Mom.”
Daniel moved between her and the hallway.
“Keep building.”
“I saw.”
“I know.”
“Why do police get them?”
“Because they might matter.”
“Everything matters now.”
He did not have an answer.
The search lasted almost two hours.
Detective Lena Ortiz met Daniel at the kitchen island afterward.
She was in her forties, compact, direct, and unimpressed by the size of the house.
“We found copies of your wife’s medical records.”
Daniel stared at her.
“Original?”
“Copies.”
“How did she get them?”
“We don’t know.”
“What kind?”
“Obstetric records. Dental records. Surgical history.”
His stomach turned.
“Enough to answer questions.”
“Possibly.”
“What else?”
“Printed email correspondence between you and Amelia dating back more than ten years.”
“I don’t have printed copies.”
“Someone did.”
Daniel thought of Amelia’s parents’ house in Connecticut.
Boxes in the attic.
Letters.
Old computers.
Family papers.
Ortiz continued, “We also found a photocopy of Lily’s passport.”
Daniel’s face went cold.
“The original is in my safe.”
“Check it.”
He did.
The passport was gone.
Daniel came back to the kitchen.
Ortiz read his face.
“Not there?”
“No.”
“Who knew the code?”
“No one.”
“Are you sure?”
Daniel thought about the first week Vivienne stayed with them.
One evening Lily had been playing with Daniel’s watch while he opened the office safe.
Vivienne had stood in the doorway.
He closed his eyes.
“She could have seen me enter it.”
Ortiz said nothing.
“There’s a camera in the office.”
“We’ll collect footage.”
Daniel gripped the counter.
“Did she have the passport on the yacht?”
“We didn’t find it in her luggage.”
“Then where is it?”
“We’re working on that.”
He looked toward Lily.
“She was going to take her.”
“Mr. Hart.”
“She asked about the tender. She asked about life jackets. She took Lily’s passport.”
“That is concerning.”
“Concerning?”
“It is evidence. It is not yet a complete explanation.”
Daniel wanted to hate her for the restraint.
Instead he recognized it.
He had spent eleven days doing the opposite.
Ortiz placed a small evidence receipt on the counter.
“One more thing.”
“What?”
“The photograph from the yacht.”
Daniel waited.
“The back has handwriting.”
His mouth went dry.
“What does it say?”
“We’ll provide a copy when appropriate.”
“I’m her husband.”
“You were her husband.”
The correction hurt more than it should have.
Ortiz watched him.
“Do you have photographs of Amelia from before you met?”
“Some.”
“Childhood?”
“Very few.”
“Any with another girl?”
“No.”
“Did Amelia ever discuss a sister?”
“Never.”
“Did she discuss her family?”
“Rarely.”
“What did she say?”
“That her parents were dead. That she had no one left.”
Ortiz nodded.
“What about the apartment?”
Daniel looked at her.
“What apartment?”
The detective’s eyes changed.
He understood immediately.
“My investigator found it.”
“That wasn’t from us.”
“No.”
“You should tell your investigator to coordinate through counsel if he’s finding material relevant to our case.”
“I will.”
Ortiz studied him.
“You didn’t know your wife planned to leave?”
Daniel looked toward Lily.
“She didn’t.”
“You sound certain.”
“I would have known.”
Ortiz said nothing.
That silence irritated him.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You have a face.”
“So do you.”
“What does mine say?”
“That you’re used to being the person with more information in the room.”
May you like
Daniel almost told her to leave.
Instead he asked, “Was she leaving me?”
