Chương 3 - Rachel’s OfficeEthan opened the door.
Diane stood there holding a laundry basket.
Too convenient.
“What are you doing?”
“Laundry.”
“Outside Lily’s room?”
She smiled thinly.
“This is my house too right now.”
“No. You’re staying here.”
Her face changed.
“After everything I’ve done for you?”
Ethan did not answer.
He took Lily’s hand and walked to Rachel’s old office.
The room had been untouched after the funeral.
At least he thought it had.
Now one drawer was empty.
A filing cabinet lock had been replaced.
Rachel’s blue accordion folder was gone.
Diane appeared behind them.
“What are you looking for?”
Ethan turned.
“Rachel’s files.”
“Which files?”
The question came too quickly.
Lily squeezed his fingers.
Ethan noticed.
Diane noticed too.
Then she softened her voice.
“Lily, honey, why don’t you go finish dinner?”
Lily stepped behind Ethan.
“No.”
Diane’s expression hardened for one second.
Enough.
Ethan said, “You’re not staying here tonight.”
“What?”
“Pack a bag.”
“You cannot be serious.”
“I’m very serious.”
Diane laughed.
“Because a child hid crackers?”
“Because she’s afraid of you.”
Silence.
Then Diane said the thing that ended the argument.
“She should be.”
Ethan stared.
Diane blinked.
Recovered.
“I mean she should be afraid of consequences. Rachel spoiled her.”
Ethan felt every old memory rearrange itself.
Rachel saying Lily had become quiet.
Rachel asking why Lily ate so fast when Diane was around.
Rachel begging him to come home early one night.
He had been in Houston closing a contract.
He had told Rachel, “Diane loves her.”
Diane now folded her arms.
“You’re grieving. You’re overreacting.”
Ethan walked to the office camera mounted above the bookshelf.
The status light was dark.
“Why is this off?”
“I don’t know.”
He checked the security app.
The camera had been manually disabled eight months earlier.
Three days after Rachel died.
User account:
DIANE-ADMIN.
Ethan looked up.
Diane had already gone pale.
Then the front doorbell rang.
A courier stood outside with a certified envelope.
Recipient:
ETHAN COLE.
Sender:
RACHEL COLE ESTATE INSTRUCTIONS.
May you like
Postmarked nine months earlier.
One month before Rachel died.
Related Stories
