Chapter 5 - What the Child Remembered
Detective Marisol Vega arrived at the hospital just after sunset. She spoke to Lily gently and asked me to stay close without answering for her.
"Tell me what happened in the kitchen," Vega said.
Lily rubbed the rabbit's ear. "The lady asked me if I had a passport."
I went still.
"Did you answer?"
"I said no. She asked if Mommy had ever taken me on an airplane. Then she got mad when Mommy came in."
Vega wrote it down. "Anything else?"
"She said we were supposed to be gone before Wednesday."
Wednesday was four days away. Nathan's wedding rehearsal and a meeting with the estate trustee were scheduled for that morning.
Nathan pressed his knuckles against his mouth.
"You heard her say that?" he asked.
Lily nodded. "And she said my blue sweater was at the wrong house."
"What blue sweater?" I asked.
"The one from when I was a baby. In the picture she showed me."
I had never given Victoria a baby picture. I'd never even met her before applying for temporary kitchen work. The agency had sent me to the Cole estate after I received an anonymous letter saying the late Wallace Cole had left something that belonged to my daughter.
Vega's pen stopped. "Grace, why did you take a job here?"
"Because I wanted to know what Wallace had hidden. I planned to speak to Nathan when I had proof."
Nathan looked wounded. "You were here for me?"
"I was here for Lily. There's a difference."
Vega asked Mrs. Alvarez to forward her contact information. Then she showed us a photograph of the documents recovered from the counter.
One was a flight confirmation to Lisbon under my name.
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The passenger listed beside me was Lily Cole.
I'd never bought it. But somebody had already bought us tickets.
