Then he opened another message.
"She told me you asked her not to arrange so many visits because it was too painful being reminded of Claire."
I almost couldn't breathe.
"That's not true."
Daniel's expression changed.
He looked down at the message again.
Then he whispered, "What the hell is happening in my house?"
Daniel didn't confront Vanessa immediately.
That surprised me.
I had expected him to march into the kitchen and demand an explanation, but he sat quietly for several minutes, looking at the photographs.
Then he looked toward me.
"I need to think."
I nodded.
"Of course."
He rubbed his face.
"I want to go upstairs and check Lily's room."
My stomach tightened.
"Is she home?"
"She's at a friend's house until six-thirty. Vanessa took her there."
I glanced at the clock.
"Then you have some time."
Daniel nodded.
He carried the phone into the hallway.
As he climbed the stairs, I could hear the familiar creak of the fourth step. Claire used to complain about that sound whenever Lily was asleep because Daniel insisted he would fix it and never got around to it.
The little detail nearly made me cry.
Daniel entered Lily's bedroom.
It looked beautiful.
The walls were painted pale yellow, the bed was covered with a quilt decorated with butterflies, and a row of stuffed animals sat neatly arranged against the pillows.
He opened the closet.
I leaned toward the tablet.
There were clothes everywhere.
Beautiful clothes.
Cream sweaters.
Colorful dresses.
Jackets.
Skirts.
Several pairs of shoes arranged on a lower shelf.
Daniel looked at me.
"You see?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
He moved hangers aside.
Then he stopped.
The green coat with yellow stars hung near the back.
It looked almost new.
Daniel touched the sleeve.
"She was supposed to wear this to the school fair."
I stared at him.
"Did she?"
He hesitated.
"I thought she did."
He took the coat off its hanger.
A small store tag remained attached beneath the collar.
We both saw it at the same moment.
Daniel's hand froze.
He looked toward the other clothes.
Then he began examining them.
A new sweater still had its tag.
A skirt was folded with the original tissue paper inside.
Two pairs of shoes sat in their boxes, untouched.
I felt sick.
"Daniel..."
He didn't answer.
He opened another drawer.