Chapter 5: The Name at the Bottom of the Form
I stood at the window and watched Daniel pace the backyard with his phone pressed to his ear.
His back was to me.
His free hand moved when he talked — short, sharp gestures.
He was not having a calm conversation.
I photographed every document in both folders with my phone.
Then I put the folders back in the box and slid it under the bed.
I needed to think clearly.
I needed someone who could help me think clearly.
I called my sister, Ruth.
She picked up on the second ring.
"It's not even eight o'clock."
"I need you to come over.
Now.
Don't tell anyone."
A pause.
"What happened?"
"Just come."
Ruth arrived forty minutes later.
By then Daniel had come back inside.
He'd made coffee and set a cup on the counter for me without saying anything.
A peace offering.
Or a performance.
I took Lily to Ruth in the living room and asked Ruth to read her a book.
Then I went to the kitchen.
Daniel was leaning against the counter with his coffee.
"Who called you?" I asked.
"A colleague."
"At six in the morning."
"He's in a different time zone."
I sat down at the kitchen table.
"The supervisor who closed Donna's report about Lily — his last name is Hale.
Is he related to Marcus?"
Daniel set his cup down.
"Is he?" I said.
"He's a cousin.
Distant."
"A cousin who worked in child protective services and closed a report about Marcus's foster home."
"I didn't know about that connection when it happened."
"But you know about it now."
He didn't answer.
"Daniel.
Do you understand what I'm holding?
Do you understand what this looks like?"
"It looks like a family that made mistakes and tried to keep things quiet."
"Tried to keep things quiet," I repeated.
"Lily was seven years old."
"I know how old she is."
"Then act like it matters."
He looked at me then — really looked at me — and for a moment I thought he was going to say something true.
Something that would explain all of it in a way that made sense.
Something that would give me back the man I thought I'd married.
Instead he said, "You should talk to a lawyer before you do anything else.
For your own protection."
"My protection."
"Things could get complicated.
For both of us.
If you start making calls."
Ruth appeared in the kitchen doorway.
She had heard enough.
I could see it in her face.
"Lily's drawing at the coffee table," she said.
Her voice was steady.
Her eyes were on Daniel.
"She's drawing a picture of a house.
She told me it's the house before this one." She paused.
"She drew bars on the window of one room."
Daniel looked at his coffee cup.
"I'm calling Lily's caseworker," I said.
"And then I'm calling the police."
"Think about what you're doing to this family."
"I am thinking about this family.
I'm thinking about the smallest member of it."
I stood up.
Picked up my phone.
Walked past him into the hallway.
He followed me to the doorway.
"If you make that call, I can't protect you from what comes next."
I stopped.
Turned around.
"That sounded like a threat, Daniel."
He said nothing.
"Was it?"
May you like
Still nothing.
I dialed.
