Chapter 6 - Chloe Tells the Truth
Chloe refused to speak to Vanessa.
That was the first thing Grant told Claire when he called that evening.
"She keeps asking for Lily."
Claire looked at her daughter, who was asleep on the sofa.
"She can see Lily after the forensic interviewer says it's appropriate."
"I understand."
Claire waited.
Grant remained silent.
"What?"
He sighed.
"Chloe asked if she's going to jail too."
Claire's anger softened.
"Why would she think that?"
"Because Vanessa told her anyone who tells family secrets goes to jail."
Claire closed her eyes.
"Bring Chloe to the interviewer tomorrow."
"Claire, she's not your child."
"No. She's a terrified five-year-old who watched someone hurt my daughter."
Grant said nothing.
Claire continued.
"Whatever Vanessa did, Chloe was living inside it too."
Grant's voice became quieter.
"I know."
The next afternoon, both girls were interviewed separately at a child advocacy center.
Claire watched Lily through one-way glass with Ortiz and a social worker.
Grant watched Chloe in another room.
No parent could speak to the children during questioning.
The interviewer used dolls, drawings and simple language.
Lily described the haircut.
The locked laundry room.
The missing desserts.
The staged fights.
Then the interviewer asked about cameras.
Lily pointed to a drawing of a tablet.
"Vanessa used that."
"Anywhere else?"
Lily thought.
"Little camera."
Claire leaned closer to the glass.
"Where was the little camera?"
"Flower."
"What flower?"
"The white flowers."
Claire remembered the marble table.
The vase.
"Was the camera inside the flowers?"
Lily nodded.
"Vanessa said it watched bad girls."
Claire looked at Ortiz.
"The police searched the house."
"They didn't know to search the vase."
He was already reaching for his phone.
Then Lily said something else.
"Sometimes Grandma watched."
Claire froze.
The interviewer asked, "Which grandma?"
"Grandma Bennett."
Evelyn.
"How did you know Grandma Bennett was watching?"
"She talked from the flower."
Claire felt cold.
A hidden camera with two-way audio.
The interviewer remained gentle.
"What did Grandma say?"
Lily picked at the edge of her sleeve.
"She said Mommy gets angry."
"Did Grandma ask you to do anything?"
Lily nodded.
"What?"
"Make Mommy yell."
Claire stepped backward.
Maya caught her elbow.
On the other side of the glass, Lily continued.
"She said if Mommy yelled, Daddy could keep me."
The interviewer asked, "Did you want Daddy to keep you?"
Lily shook her head violently.
"I want both."
Claire covered her mouth.
The interviewer paused.
Then asked, "Did Chloe ever help Vanessa?"
Lily looked confused.
"No."
"Did Chloe ever hurt you?"
"Sometimes we fight."
"Did Vanessa ask Chloe to do things?"
Lily nodded.
"She told Chloe to take my toys."
"What happened if Chloe didn't?"
Lily's voice became very small.
"Vanessa got mad."
Claire had to leave the observation room.
She walked into the hallway and pressed both hands to the wall.
Maya followed.
"Claire."
"I should have seen it."
"Vanessa worked to make sure you didn't."
"I should have seen it."
"You saw what someone wanted you to see."
Claire turned.
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"No."
Maya met her eyes.
"It's supposed to stop you from wasting energy blaming yourself when you're going to need that energy to protect Lily."
Claire slowly nodded.
A door opened down the hall.
Grant emerged.
His face looked gray.
"What did Chloe say?"
Claire asked.
Grant sat in a chair.
For several seconds he could not speak.
Then he said, "Vanessa made her practice crying."
Claire stared.
"What?"
"She would tell Chloe to say Lily hit her. If Chloe couldn't cry, Vanessa took things away."
Claire sat beside him.
Grant rubbed his face.
"Chloe knew the camera was there."
"The one in the flowers?"
"Yes."
"Did she know Evelyn was watching?"
Grant looked at Claire.
"She called her the voice."
Claire's skin prickled.
"What else?"
Grant swallowed.
"Chloe said Vanessa met Grandma Bennett at the house when I wasn't home."
"How often?"
"She doesn't know."
"Did they talk about Lily?"
"Yes."
Claire waited.
Grant looked sick.
"Chloe heard them say they needed one big incident."
The haircut.
The slap.
Claire closed her eyes.
Grant continued.
"They knew you would come."
"Because Lily called me?"
Grant shook his head.
"Vanessa told Lily to call."
Claire opened her eyes.
Everything snapped into place.
Lily's frightened phone call had been part of the trap.
Vanessa wanted Claire there.
She wanted Claire to see the hair.
She wanted Claire angry.
She wanted the camera to capture the retaliation.
Grant whispered, "I'm sorry."
Claire stood.
"No."
"Claire."
"You don't get to say it like that fixes anything."
"I know it doesn't."
"You gave Vanessa authority over Lily."
"I know."
"You let your mother convince you that I was unstable."
"I know."
"And you secretly consulted Richard about taking custody."
Grant's eyes filled.
"I know."
Claire's voice shook.
"Then stop saying you're sorry and start telling the truth before I find it somewhere else."
Grant looked up.
"There is something."
Claire stared at him.
"Of course there is."
"When my father was dying, he told me Evelyn had done something with Michael's estate."
Claire's pulse jumped.
"My father's estate?"
"I didn't understand."
"What exactly did he say?"
"He said, 'Your mother made sure Michael couldn't change his mind.'"
Claire went still.
"Change his mind about what?"
"I don't know."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because my father was on morphine. He was confused."
"Or you wanted him to be."
Grant flinched.
Before Claire could continue, Ortiz walked toward them.
"They found the hidden camera."
"Inside the flowers?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"It was connected to a private server."
"Evelyn?"
"We don't know yet."
Ortiz looked at Grant.
"We also found another device."
Grant frowned.
"Where?"
"In your home office."
Grant went pale.
Claire asked, "What kind of device?"
"A microphone."
Grant stared at Ortiz.
"Vanessa was recording me?"
"Apparently."
"How long?"
"The hardware model was released about three years ago."
Grant whispered, "Vanessa moved in eight months ago."
Ortiz nodded.
"Then someone may have been inside your house before Vanessa ever lived there."
Claire thought of the two-year-old surveillance videos.
The trust amendment.
Thomas Vale.
Evelyn.
May you like
This had not begun with Vanessa.
Vanessa was only the person caught holding the scissors.
