Chapter 6 - His Mother's Perfect Smile
Patricia Bennett arrived twenty-three minutes after the police.
Perfect hair. Cream coat. Pearl earrings. Worried-mother expression already in place.
She hugged Daniel first.
Then me.
I stayed stiff in her arms.
"Thank God you're all right," she said.
Her eyes moved past my shoulder and landed on Evelyn.
The color drained from her face.
"You."
Evelyn stood. "Hello, Patricia."
Patricia's hand tightened around her purse. "You were supposed to stay gone."
The room went silent.
A detective named Alvarez looked up from his notebook.
"Mrs. Bennett," he said, "do you know this woman?"
Patricia recovered in less than a second. "She's my son's former wife. We were told she disappeared voluntarily."
"You told me she was dead," I said.
Patricia turned toward me with a sad little smile. "Claire, there are things families do to protect one another."
I almost laughed.
"Did protecting me include giving someone a key to my house?"
She blinked.
Detective Alvarez held up the key. "We'd like to know why this appears to match the numbered duplicate system registered to your Beacon Hill residence."
Patricia's gaze flicked to Daniel.
"I have household staff. Keys go missing."
Evelyn crossed her arms. "Funny. They went missing six years ago too."
Patricia's smile vanished.
Daniel stepped between them. "Enough."
But I was watching Patricia's purse.
A corner of white paper stuck out near the zipper.
The clinic logo was printed at the top.
My clinic.
I moved before she could stop me.
"What's that?"
She pulled the purse back. "Nothing."
I grabbed the paper.
It was an appointment summary.
Not hers.
Mine.
Today's.
The exact time of my ultrasound was circled in blue ink.
Detective Alvarez looked at Patricia.
"Mrs. Bennett, would you like to explain why you have your daughter-in-law's private medical schedule?"
Patricia said nothing.
Then her phone buzzed.
The screen lit up in her hand.
May you like
I saw the message before she turned it over.
RICHARD: DID SHE SEE EVELYN?
