Chapter 3 - Lily Had Heard Claire Say They Were Leaving Before Daddy Came Home
It had started that morning.
I had been away overnight for a work conference.
Claire told me everything was fine.
At 9:12 a.m., Lily went downstairs looking for her mother.
She heard voices in the basement corridor.
Claire.
Julian.
Lily stayed behind the stair railing because she heard her own name.
According to her later interview with a child specialist, Julian said:
“We leave before Marcus gets back.”
Claire answered:
“What about Lily?”
“She comes with us.”
Then:
“And if she refuses?”
There was a long pause.
Claire said:
“She won’t.”
But Lily already knew something was wrong.
She went upstairs.
Found her small travel bag open on her bed.
Clothes had been folded beside it.
Her stuffed rabbit was inside.
She removed the rabbit.
Then she found her passport missing from the drawer where I kept both children’s travel documents.
That frightened her.
So she confronted Claire.
“Where are we going?”
Claire told her:
“On a surprise trip.”
“Is Daddy coming?”
“No.”
Lily immediately said she wouldn’t go.
Claire tried to reassure her.
Then Julian stepped into the room and said:
“You’ll understand when you’re older.”
That made everything worse.
Lily ran downstairs looking for her baby brother.
He was gone from the nursery.
She heard crying beneath the house.
Then found the chained wine cellar.
Claire caught her there.
And told her:
“The baby is sleeping somewhere safe.”
Lily didn’t believe her.
She knew the sound of her brother crying.
She also knew one other thing.
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Claire had never locked that cellar before.
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