Chapter 11 - The Girl in the Green Dress
Adrian called Claire before Victor could say another word.
“Lock the door,” he said. “Take Lily away from the windows. Police are coming.”
Claire didn't ask why. “I understand.”
He dialed Detective Jackson next, explaining the threat word for word. She dispatched officers to Claire's building and told him to stay where he was until she could speak with him.
“You don't know Victor,” Adrian said. “He doesn't threaten unless he's already planned the next move.”
“Then don't give him the next move,” Jackson answered.
For twenty minutes Adrian sat inside the storage office, watching security monitors and remembering all the times Victor Shaw had brought birthday gifts for Lily. He remembered Victor teaching her to count with quarters. The warmth of those memories now made him feel sick.
A police officer finally reported that Claire and Lily were safe. An unfamiliar man had been sitting in a car outside their apartment, but he drove away when a patrol unit arrived. Security footage captured the license plate.
Adrian rushed to the hospital. Nora was awake, scrolling through messages with a frown.
“Claire told me,” she said. “Is Lily really okay?”
“Yes. Officers are with her.”
Nora turned her phone toward him. Vanessa had posted a statement online claiming Nora had staged the ballroom fall to sabotage Claire's wedding. The clip stopped just before the shove, showing only Nora hitting the floor and Adrian shouting.
Within an hour, strangers were calling Nora a liar.
“This is how she works,” Nora said. “Humiliate somebody first. Then make them defend themselves.”
Adrian took a slow breath. “The venue has cameras. Jackson can request the full footage.”
Nora stared at the screen. “Do you believe me?”
He looked her in the eye. “Yes.”
“Even though you didn't for the last two years?”
He deserved that question.
“I can't fix those two years with one sentence,” he said. “But I'm done pretending my mother is harmless.”
A nurse arrived with a sealed hospital envelope. It had been delivered by courier and addressed to Nora. Inside was a photocopy of Lily's birth certificate and a note printed in block letters.
YOU HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY TO WITHDRAW YOUR ACCUSATIONS.
Adrian reached for the note, but Nora held it out of his grasp.
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On the back, someone had written a second sentence by hand: ASK ADRIAN ABOUT THE NIGHT THOMAS DIED.
