Chapter 5: The Sister Who Knew
Rachel arrived forty minutes later.
I heard her car pull into the driveway before I saw her. The engine stopped, the driver's door opened, and then her footsteps hurried across the porch.
She came through the front door without knocking.
“Marcus?””
Her voice broke the moment she saw me.
She crossed the room and wrapped both arms around me.
For one brief, foolish second, I let myself believe she had come to comfort me.
Then she pulled away and slapped me across the face.
The sound cracked through the living room.
“You selfish, lying idiot!””
I staggered backward.
“Rachel—”
“No! Don't you dare say my name like I'm the one who needs to calm down!””
Her eyes were red, and her dark hair had been pulled into a careless bun. She wore the same gray sweatshirt she'd been wearing the last time I saw her, when she'd stood in my driveway and begged me to stop destroying my family.
She looked past me.
Then she saw Danielle.
My sister's anger vanished.
“Oh, Dani.””
Danielle stood near the sofa, looking as if she'd aged ten years in three days.
Rachel hurried toward her.
Danielle folded into her arms.
For several seconds, neither woman spoke. Rachel held my wife while Danielle sobbed against her shoulder.
I stood alone near the coffee table.
It was a position I was beginning to recognize.
Rachel finally lifted her head.
“Where's Lily?””
Danielle's sobbing stopped.
Rachel's expression crumpled as she realized what she'd asked.
“Oh, God.””
She pressed a hand over her mouth.
“No. No, I didn't mean—”
Danielle shook her head.
“I know.””
Rachel lowered herself onto the sofa beside her.
“I'm so sorry.””
She looked at me then, and the grief in her face hardened into fury.
“Were you with Vanessa?””
I couldn't lie anymore.
“Yes.””
Rachel closed her eyes.
“You actually went through with it.””
I looked down.
“Yes.””
“And you didn't answer your phone?””
“I didn't see the calls.””
She stood so quickly that the sofa cushion shifted beneath her.
“Don't you dare tell me that!””
I flinched.
“I didn't—”
“You checked your phone to post photographs from Savannah. You checked it to answer work emails. You checked it to arrange dinner with that woman. But you didn't check it when your wife was calling because your daughter was dying?””
Her voice echoed off the walls.
I had no defense.
Rachel shook her head.
“I warned you.””
“I know.””
“I told you this would hurt people.””
“I know.””
“And you looked me in the face and said I was being dramatic.””
She pointed at me.
“You told me Lily was fine. You told me Danielle would never find out. You told me you had everything under control.””
Her voice broke.
“You didn't have anything under control, Marcus. You were just lying to yourself.””
Officer Brooks stepped forward.
“Ms. Reed, I'm Officer Brooks. I need to ask you some questions about your brother's trip and any communications you may have had with him or the other people involved.””
Rachel wiped her cheeks.
“Ask whatever you need.””
“Were you aware that Lily had discovered your brother's affair?””
Rachel looked at me.
Then she looked at Danielle.
“Yes.””
The word landed heavily.
Danielle's head lifted.
“You knew?””
Rachel nodded, tears running down her face.
“Lily called me two weeks ago.””
I gripped the back of the chair.
“What?””
Rachel looked at me with undisguised disgust.
“You heard me.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
She gave a broken laugh.
“Because I knew you'd make it about yourself.””
“Rachel—”
“She was crying, Marcus. She called me from her bedroom because she didn't want you to hear her.””
My chest tightened.
“What did she say?””
Rachel sat down again.
“She asked me whether people could love someone and still lie to them.””
I closed my eyes.
Rachel continued.
“I asked her what had happened. She told me she'd seen messages on your phone. She said she thought you were in love with Vanessa.””
Danielle covered her mouth.
Rachel reached for her hand.
“I told Lily that adults sometimes made terrible decisions, but none of those decisions were her fault. I told her she could always talk to me.””
Rachel's voice trembled.
“She asked me not to tell you she'd called. She was afraid you'd be angry with her for looking at your phone.””
I felt something inside me tear.
“She was eight,” I whispered.
“Yes, Marcus. She was eight.””
Rachel leaned forward.
“She wasn't supposed to be protecting you. She was supposed to be worrying about spelling tests and birthday parties and whether she could have ice cream before dinner.””
Danielle began to cry again.
Rachel wrapped an arm around her.
“And now she's gone.””
Officer Brooks waited until the room quieted.
“Did Lily mention any threats or messages she had received?””
Rachel hesitated.
I noticed.
So did the officer.
“Ms. Reed?””
Rachel stared at her hands.
“She mentioned that someone had messaged her.””
My heart began to pound.
“What message?””
Rachel looked at me.
“I didn't know the exact words at first. She said she'd received a message from your number telling her not to call you anymore.””
I grabbed the chair more tightly.
“When?””
“Friday afternoon.””
“Why didn't you tell anyone?””
“I didn't know she was in the hospital until Danielle called me.””
Danielle nodded slowly.
“I called Rachel after the doctors told me Lily might not make it. I couldn't reach Marcus, and I didn't know who else to call.””
Rachel's eyes filled.
“I drove straight there. By the time I arrived, Lily was unconscious.””
I swallowed hard.
“Did you see the message yourself?””
Rachel nodded.
“She showed it to me earlier that week. Not the actual message on Friday. The first one, the one she found after seeing your conversations with Vanessa.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
Rachel looked away.
“She told me she thought someone was angry with her for knowing about the affair.””
Officer Brooks leaned forward.
“Did she say who?””
Rachel's face tightened.
“She said she wasn't sure.””
“But you have a suspicion?””
Rachel looked at me for a long moment.
Then she said, “Yes.””
The silence was immediate.
“Who?”” I demanded.
Rachel's lips trembled.
“Vanessa.””
I felt the room tilt.
Officer Brooks turned toward the kitchen.
“Ms. Vanessa, please come back into the living room.””
Vanessa appeared in the doorway.
She looked exhausted, but when she heard her name, her expression changed.
“What?””
Rachel stood.
“Don't pretend you don't know.””
Vanessa's eyes widened.
“Know what?””
“That Lily contacted me. That she knew about you. That she was afraid her father would stop loving her because of what she'd seen.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I never threatened Lily.””
“You don't have to threaten a child to frighten her.””
Rachel stepped closer.
“She told me she'd seen you outside the house. She said you asked her whether her mother knew about you and Marcus.””
Vanessa went pale.
I stared at her.
“You spoke to Lily?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“I only spoke to her for a minute.””
“You told us you barely saw her.””
“I did barely see her!””
“What did you say to her?””
Vanessa looked at Rachel.
Then at Danielle.
“I asked her if her parents were happy.””
Danielle made a small, wounded sound.
Vanessa continued quickly.
“I wasn't trying to hurt her. I was trying to understand whether Marcus had been telling me the truth about his marriage.””
“You asked an eight-year-old to explain her parents' relationship?”” Officer Brooks said.
Vanessa lowered her head.
“I know how it sounds.””
“How did Lily respond?””
“She said her parents loved each other.””
Rachel laughed bitterly.
“Of course she did.””
Vanessa's voice became defensive.
“She also said they argued a lot.””
Danielle stared at her.
“You were listening to my child talk about our marriage, and you used what she said to make decisions about your relationship with my husband?””
“I never used her.””
“You put her in the middle of an adult affair!””
Vanessa began to cry.
“I didn't mean to.””
Rachel stepped between them.
“Intentions don't erase consequences.””
Officer Brooks raised her hand.
“Ms. Vanessa, I need to ask you something directly. Did you send a message to Lily from Mr. Reed's phone?””
“No.””
“Did you send a message from Mrs. Reed's number?””
“No.””
“Did you send any message intended to make Lily believe her father would abandon her?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“No.””
Officer Brooks studied her.
“Then why did you tell Mr. Reed you were afraid of what Lily had written in the envelope?””
Vanessa's face crumpled.
“Because I knew she had discovered the affair.””
“That doesn't explain the envelope being in your bag.””
“I found it in the hotel room.””
“That's not what Mrs. Reed told us.””
“I know!””
Vanessa pressed both hands against her temples.
“I don't know how it got there. I swear to you, I don't.””
Rachel looked at me.
“There's something else.””
I turned toward her.
“What?””
She reached into her purse and removed her phone.
“On Friday, after Danielle told me Lily was in intensive care, I received a call from an unknown number.””
Officer Brooks stepped closer.
“Did you answer it?””
“Yes.””
“Who was calling?””
Rachel swallowed.
“I don't know. The person didn't identify themselves.””
“What did they say?””
Rachel's eyes moved toward the staircase.
“They asked me whether Lily had told me about the messages.””
My skin went cold.
“What did you say?””
“I asked who they were. They hung up.””
Officer Brooks held out her hand.
“May I see your call history?””
Rachel gave her the phone.
The officer examined the screen and wrote down the number.
“Did you recognize it?””
“No.””
“Did you receive any further calls or messages?””
Rachel nodded slowly.
“One text.””
She opened her messages and showed us the screen.
The text had arrived at 4:32 p.m. Friday.
Stay out of this family. You don't know what your brother is capable of.
I stared at it.
“That could have been Vanessa,” I said.
Vanessa shook her head violently.
“It wasn't me.””
Rachel turned toward me.
“You don't get to decide that just because you want an easy answer.””
Officer Brooks photographed the screen.
“I'm going to have this number examined alongside the other communications. Please don't delete the message or contact the sender.””
Rachel nodded.
Then she looked at me again.
“Marcus, I need to tell you something, and I need you to listen without interrupting.””
I nodded.
“Lily didn't call me because she wanted to talk about Vanessa.””
My throat tightened.
“Then why did she call?””
Rachel took a shaky breath.
“She said someone had been coming into your house when you weren't there.””
Danielle stood abruptly.
“What?””
Rachel looked at her.
“Lily told me she'd heard someone upstairs one afternoon while you were at work. She thought it was you coming home early, but when she looked down the stairs, she saw a woman leaving your bedroom.””
Vanessa's face turned gray.
I felt the blood drain from mine.
“What woman?””
Rachel looked directly at Vanessa.
“Lily described her as having long dark hair, a cream handbag, and a little gold bracelet.””
Danielle stared at Vanessa's wrist.
The bracelet.
The same bracelet Vanessa had been wearing when she entered our house that afternoon.
Vanessa backed toward the wall.
“No,” she whispered.
I couldn't speak.
Officer Brooks looked at Vanessa.
“Have you been inside the Reed residence on any occasion other than the visit you've already described?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“No.””
Rachel's voice broke.
“Then why did Lily recognize you?””
Vanessa looked at me, desperate now.
“Marcus, please. You have to believe me.””
I stared at her.
For months, I'd believed every explanation she offered because it was easier than examining my own choices.
But now my daughter was dead, my wife was grieving, and the woman I'd chosen to trust had been caught in lie after lie.
“Tell us the truth,” I said.
Vanessa pressed her lips together.
Then she whispered, “I wasn't the only person who knew about the affair.””
Officer Brooks went still.
“Who else knew?””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“Someone who had been helping me.””
I took a step toward her.
“Helping you do what?””
She looked at Danielle.
Then at Rachel.
Finally, she looked at me.
“Helping me get Marcus to leave his wife.””
My stomach twisted.
“Who?””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
May you like
And when she spoke the name, it was one I had never expected to hear.
“Your mother.””
