Chapter 11 - The Version They Couldn't Edit
Celia stood on the front porch when we came out. Her hair was pinned neatly, and she wore the pale cardigan she'd chosen for our wedding rehearsal dinner.
"Mark," she said, looking past the officer. "Please. Can we speak as husband and wife?"
"Not privately," I replied.
She looked at my phone. "You found the video."
No one had mentioned the video to her. I watched her realize what she'd admitted.
"It doesn't show what happened before," she said quickly. "Wren was behaving badly."
"It shows you lifting the pot toward her."
"You don't understand what living with her has been like."
I had spent the previous night listening to Wren apologize in her sleep. I understood enough.
Park asked Celia to direct any questions through her lawyer. Celia refused an invitation to explain herself on the spot and left with the suitcase, without being allowed inside the areas under investigation.
Back at Hannah's, Wren was drawing a house with a yellow roof. She had put five people in front of it. One was Rose; another was June, who had only known her for two days.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"Here." She pointed to a tall stick figure holding an umbrella over everyone.
"Is it raining?"
"Not yet," she said.
I sat beside her until she finished. When she went upstairs, I showed Hannah Nora's letter.
Hannah read it, eyes wet. "Nora knew Elaine wanted control. She never told me it had gotten this bad."
"Neither did I."
Hannah looked at me. "There's another thing. Nora asked me to keep a box in case anyone ever tried to sell Willow Point without Wren's permission."
May you like
"You have it?"
She nodded. "I've had it for three years."
