Chapter 7
I walked slowly down the length of the room, the only sound the soft thud of my boots on the plush carpet. I reached the empty chair directly to Eleanor’s right. I gently lowered the still-sleeping Lily into the seat, wrapping David’s coat tighter around her small frame.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out my smartphone, and placed it flat on the white tablecloth, right next to Eleanor’s untouched glass of Merlot.
“She wasn’t wandering, Eleanor,” I said. My voice was quiet, but it commanded the room. It bounced off the crystal chandeliers and the mahogany walls.
Eleanor sniffed, tilting her chin up defensively. “Well, wherever she was, the important thing is that she’s safe. She really needs to learn not to run away from adults. It’s a sign of terrible indiscipline.”
“Mom,” David said. He was standing directly behind my chair. The danger in his voice was palpable. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “Stop talking.”
Eleanor blinked, genuinely shocked by his tone. “Excuse me?”
I pressed play on the video. I had turned the brightness all the way up. I pushed the phone to the center of the table so everyone could see.
The grainy security footage from B3 began to play. The timestamp in the corner read 1:15 PM.
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On the screen, Eleanor’s pristine luxury sedan pulled into the VIP spot. The doors opened. Eleanor stepped out, pulling a reluctant, visibly crying Lily by the wrist. She dragged Lily over to the massive concrete pillar. There was no audio, but Eleanor’s aggressive, pointing gestures were unmistakable. She shoved Lily backward against the concrete, pointed a stiff finger directly at her face, and then spun on her heel.
Eleanor got back into her car and drove away, leaving the tiny yellow speck of my daughter alone in the cavernous, flickering darkness.
