Chapter 4 - Lily Runs)
Margaret moved toward Lily slowly.
"Sweetheart, Grandma needs to see your watch."
Lily shook her head.
"No."
"Don't be silly."
Margaret reached.
Lily stepped backward.
Behind Margaret, Ethan pulled against the rope.
"Lily, run."
Margaret spun around.
"Quiet."
"Run!"
Lily turned.
She sprinted toward the side of the yard.
Margaret chased her.
The child was fast.
But the yard was fenced.
Lily reached the gate and fumbled with the latch.
Margaret caught up.
Her fingers brushed Lily's shoulder.
Lily screamed.
The latch opened.
She squeezed through.
Margaret grabbed the back of her shirt.
Lily twisted.
The fabric stretched.
Then a dog barked from the next property.
Margaret released her.
Lily ran down the narrow side path toward the front sidewalk.
"Lily!"
Margaret followed two steps.
Then stopped.
She looked back at Ethan.
He was still tied beneath the table.
If she chased Lily, he might attract a neighbor.
If she stayed, Lily might call someone.
Margaret chose Ethan.
She slammed the gate shut.
Ethan stared at her.
"You better not hurt her."
Margaret laughed.
"Look at you. Tied to a table and still giving orders."
"Mom's coming."
"Your mother isn't coming until five."
"Lily will call her."
"That watch isn't a phone."
Ethan said nothing.
Margaret was right.
Lily's inexpensive smartwatch did not have independent cellular service.
But it could record.
And it could connect to Wi-Fi.
Margaret knew that much.
She looked toward the house.
Then toward the gate.
Then at Ethan.
"Where would she go?"
Ethan shrugged.
Margaret stepped closer.
"Where?"
"I don't know."
Margaret crouched beside him.
"You understand that none of this needed to happen."
Ethan looked away.
"You could simply have admitted you knocked the phone down."
"You broke it."
"You caused it."
"You threw it."
"Because of your behavior."
"That still means you broke it."
Margaret's face tightened.
"You sound exactly like your mother."
"Good."
Her palm slammed onto the picnic bench above him.
Ethan flinched.
Margaret pointed at the shattered phone.
"You will tell Claire you damaged that phone."
"No."
"You will tell her you were snooping."
"No."
"You will tell her the documents you saw belonged to me."
"They had my name."
"You don't understand banking."
"Then show Mom."
Margaret stood.
She began pacing.
The plan had been simple before Ethan came upstairs.
The trust Ryan created for his son contained several investment accounts.
Margaret had once been named secondary administrator in case Claire died or became incapacitated.
After Ryan's death, that authority never activated.
Margaret knew that.
But she also knew a bank employee named Douglas Price who had worked with Ryan years earlier.
Douglas had made a mistake.
A serious one.
He had processed several transfer requests using outdated authorization documents Margaret supplied.
At first, the amounts were small.
Two thousand.
Three thousand.
Then more.
Margaret told herself she was borrowing it.
She told herself Ryan would have helped her.
She told herself Claire had more money than she needed.
Eventually the total reached forty-eight thousand dollars.
Then Douglas became nervous.
The bank's internal review system flagged the withdrawals.
That morning he had called Margaret.
The conversation Ethan overheard was about the bank freezing further transfers.
And about documentation being sent to Claire.
Margaret had expected another week.
Instead, she might have hours.
Ethan had seen the one page that could make everything worse.
A transaction summary showing her name.
She needed Claire to believe he was confused.
Better yet, dishonest.
She needed a reason for his story to sound like retaliation.
Breaking an expensive phone would work.
Running away would work even better.
If Ethan appeared out of control, Margaret could say he invented the accusations after being disciplined.
She had not planned the rope.
That part had been anger.
Now it was another problem she needed to explain.
The side gate creaked.
Margaret turned.
Lily stood outside it.
She had not gone far.
"Grandma?"
Margaret softened instantly.
"There you are."
Lily looked frightened.
"I want Ethan untied."
"He will be."
"When?"
"When he tells the truth."
Lily's small hand moved toward her watch.
Margaret noticed.
"Give me the watch."
"No."
"Lily."
"No."
Margaret walked toward the gate.
Lily stepped backward.
"Aunt Claire is coming."
Margaret stopped.
Ethan lifted his head.
"What?"
Lily nodded quickly.
"I used Mrs. Harper's phone."
Margaret's face changed.
Mrs. Harper lived two houses down.
A retired school librarian.
Nosy.
Persistent.
Exactly the kind of neighbor Margaret disliked.
"You went into someone else's house?"
"She was outside."
Margaret opened the gate.
"Come here."
Lily backed away.
"She called Aunt Claire."
Margaret's voice became low.
"You are making this much worse."
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
"No. You did."
She turned and ran again.
Margaret let her go.
This time she hurried toward the house.
Ethan watched her disappear inside.
He did not know what she was doing.
He heard drawers opening.
Cabinet doors slamming.
Footsteps upstairs.
Then downstairs.
Margaret returned carrying the blue document box.
Ethan's stomach dropped.
She placed it on the patio.
"What are you doing?"
Margaret ignored him.
She carried it toward the barbecue grill.
Ethan stared.
"No."
Margaret opened the grill lid.
"Grandma."
She picked up a stack of papers.
Ethan pulled against the rope until it burned his wrists.
"Don't!"
Margaret reached for the ignition.
Nothing happened.
The propane tank was closed.
She cursed under her breath.
Then a car door slammed in the driveway.
Margaret froze.
Ethan heard another door.
Fast footsteps.
The rear screen door opened.
Margaret dropped the papers.
May you like
Claire entered the backyard.
And the first thing she saw was her son beneath the picnic table.
