Chapter 5 - WHAT VANESSA WAS REALLY DOING
When Marisol said those words, I did not scream.
I did not lunge.
I did something much worse for Vanessa.
I started thinking clearly.
I looked at my daughter.
At her suitcase placed neatly outside the room.
At the rabbit stuffed back into her arms.
At the fact that Vanessa had not merely opened the door and found Lily wandering.
She had removed her.
Arranged her.
Disposed of her.
Which meant Lily had interrupted something.
I turned back toward Room 306.
Vanessa’s smugness had faded.
Just a little.
That told me I was finally looking in the right direction.
I walked past her without asking permission and entered the room.
“Claire,” Harold snapped.
I ignored him.
My eyes went straight to the luggage stand by the far wall.
My suitcase was there.
Open.
The blue document case was half out from beneath Lily’s clothes.
The zipper pocket had been tugged backward hard enough to wrinkle the lining.
I didn’t even need to touch it to know.
They had been searching.
Diane spoke behind me.
“You’re being dramatic.”
I slowly turned.
“Did you move my suitcase into this room?”
Harold answered.
“We thought it would be easier if all of Lily’s things stayed together.”
“That suitcase isn’t Lily’s.”
No answer.
Vanessa folded her arms.
“Maybe if you didn’t act like every piece of paper in your life was classified government material—”
I cut her off.
“What were you looking for?”
Her face changed too fast.
“Nothing.”
“Interesting. Because people who are looking for nothing don’t usually trick me downstairs first.”
Marisol remained in the doorway, hands tight on her cart handle. Good. Another witness.
Diane tried a gentler tone.
“Claire, you’re exhausted. Lily was whining. Vanessa put her outside for one minute.”
Lily made a small sound behind me.
Not whining.
Crying.
I looked at Harold.
“You let your granddaughter stand alone in a hotel hallway because your daughter wanted privacy with my suitcase.”
Harold set his drink down.
“We have a right to know what Ethan left behind.”
There it was.
Finally.
Not apology.
Not denial.
Entitlement.
I felt Lily’s hand creep into mine.
I squeezed it once and looked back at the suitcase.
The blue document case was still there.
May you like
But the inner envelope was open.
And one paper was missing.
