I stared at the phone.
"Last weekend?"
"Yeah. Why?"
I looked toward the picture of Lily in her blue dress.
"Vanessa told me money had been a little tight."
Daniel was quiet.
Then he said, "What?"
"She said you hadn't noticed Lily was outgrowing her clothes."
He gave a confused laugh.
"Margaret, Lily has plenty of clothes."
I closed my eyes.
"Then I need you to show me."
The silence on the other end of the line became uncomfortable.
"Show you what?"
"Her clothes."
He hesitated.
"Is somebody accusing me of neglecting my daughter?"
His voice had sharpened.
I understood immediately how dangerous the conversation could become.
"No, Daniel. I'm not accusing you. I'm trying to understand something Lily said yesterday."
"What did she say?"
I looked toward Claire's photograph.
"That she was supposed to wear a particular dress when I visited."
Daniel didn't answer.
I continued.
"I've been noticing the same old outfits for months. And last night, I saw the pictures you've been posting."
He was quiet.
Then he asked, "What pictures?"
"The ones where she's wearing new clothes."
A long pause followed.
Finally, Daniel said, "I don't understand."
"Neither do I."
He exhaled.
"Can you come over?"
I looked at the clock.
"When?"
"I have meetings until late afternoon. I can call you on video when I'm done, and we can compare what we're seeing."
I nodded.
"All right."
Daniel lowered his voice.
"Margaret?"
"Yes?"
"Is Lily afraid of someone?"
The question caught me off guard.
I thought of the way my granddaughter had looked toward the kitchen before answering me.
I couldn't honestly say no.
So I told him the truth.
"I don't know."
Daniel was silent.
Then he said, "I'm coming home early."
At five-forty that afternoon, Daniel called me on video.
He was sitting in his home office, still wearing his work shirt. His hair looked untidy, and the exhaustion on his face reminded me painfully of the months after Claire died.
"Margaret, can you hear me?"
"Yes."
He looked toward the hallway.
"I'm alone in the office."
I nodded.
"All right."
He held up his phone.
"I don't know what you're seeing because Vanessa sends me pictures of Lily all the time."
I leaned toward my tablet.
The first photograph showed Lily wearing a beautiful new pink coat.
I recognized the living room in the background.