Chapter 5 - Lily's Version
Lily came home the next afternoon with a discharge sheet and strict instructions to rest. She sat on the couch in a sweatshirt, hugging the stuffed fox she had carried since preschool. I made toast and cut it into triangles because Emily used to do that when Lily was sick.
"Can you tell me what happened at the pool?" I asked. "I promise I won't get mad."
Lily studied my face. "You got mad at Nora."
The words were quiet, but they left no room to argue.
"I was scared," I said.
"So was I."
I sat on the floor in front of her. "You're right. I'm sorry. Tell me what you remember."
She rubbed the fox's worn ear. She had gone outside to look for the silver locket that belonged to her mother. She had not seen it in weeks. Someone told her it might be near the pool, beside the rose trellis where Emily used to sit and read.
"Who told you that?"
Lily's shoulders lifted. "I don't want to get anybody in trouble."
"You're not responsible for protecting grown-ups from the truth."
She stared at the window for a long time. "I saw a lady by the gate. I thought she was getting Mommy's necklace. Then I went closer, and the gate was open."
"Was it Celeste?"
Lily's mouth tightened. "I didn't see her face. She had the blue scarf."
Celeste owned a dozen scarves. The one she wore that afternoon was blue, soft cashmere, the kind of detail I might once have noticed and then forgotten.
"What happened next?"
"I reached for the locket. It was on the stone by the water. Then the stone moved under my foot. I fell in. I couldn't find the steps."
She began to shake. I stopped asking and pulled her into my arms.
Over her shoulder, I saw a silver chain peeking from the pocket of her sweatshirt.
May you like
The locket was there.
I remembered all the small things I had called good behavior: Lily asking permission before taking a cookie, apologizing when someone bumped into her, checking my face before answering a simple question. I had mistaken fear for maturity because maturity was easier to manage.
