Chapter 11 - The Woman With the Green Scarf
Her name was Mrs. Ellis. I remembered the green scarf knotted around her neck and the way she'd covered her mouth when I fell.
She was waiting in the clinic lobby with a paper cup of tea. When she saw me, she stood so quickly that the cup sloshed onto her hand.
"Honey, I've been thinking about you all night. How's your baby?"
"She's okay. Thank you for asking."
Mrs. Ellis pressed her lips together. "That woman did it on purpose."
For a second, I couldn't answer. Nobody outside my family had said those words so plainly.
"Did you see her pull the chair?" Nora asked.
"Both hands. She waited until the young lady leaned forward, then yanked. I told the receptionist right after." Mrs. Ellis looked embarrassed. "I should've said more while you were there."
"You said enough to come back," I told her.
She took out her phone. She'd been filming a short message for her granddaughter in the waiting room when the shouting started. Her video began a few seconds before my fall.
"I won't post it anywhere," she said. "But I can give it to the officer or your lawyer."
My hands shook so badly that Nora held the phone for me.
There I was, sitting beside Daniel, one hand on my belly. Linda stood behind my chair. She glanced at me, placed both palms on its back, and pulled. The motion was quick and deliberate. I fell. Daniel watched.
No confusion. No bad angle. No accident.
Nora stopped playback. "Do you want to see the rest?"
I shook my head. I already knew what happened next. I'd lived it.
I gave her Camille's contact information and asked her to tell the truth to anyone who needed it. Then I walked outside with Nora.
For the first time since the fall, I wasn't wondering whether I had overreacted.
A message appeared on my phone from Daniel.
Mom says you are gathering witnesses. Emily, please don't make this public.
May you like
I stared at the screen.
Somebody had already warned him.
