Chapter 3: What Lily Knew About Vanessa
Danielle read the message twice.
Then she placed my phone on the table as though it had become dangerous.
“What does she mean?”” she asked.
I shook my head.
“I don't know.””
“Why would Lily ask to see her?””
“I don't know, Danielle.””
“You keep saying that.””
“I swear to you.””
She pushed her chair back.
“Then start finding out.””
I called Vanessa.
No answer.
I called again.
Straight to voicemail.
I sent one message.
Tell me what Lily knew.
Nothing.
For the next twenty minutes, I sat across from Danielle while she stared at the photograph from the hospital.
Finally, she spoke.
“Marcus, when did Vanessa first meet Lily?””
“About six months ago.””
“Six months?””
I nodded.
“You told me she was a business associate.””
“She was.””
Danielle's eyes narrowed.
“Was?””
I looked down.
The truth had become impossible to avoid.
“Vanessa and I were involved.””
She didn't move.
“I know,” she said quietly.
I looked up.
“What?””
“I knew you were cheating.””
My mouth went dry.
“How long?””
“Almost a year.””
I stared at her.
“Why didn't you say anything?””
She laughed once.
“Because I wanted to be wrong.””
Danielle picked up the photograph.
“I found a receipt in your jacket last spring. Two hotel rooms. Two names. I asked you about it, and you told me it was a work expense.””
I remembered.
I'd lied without even looking up from my laptop.
Danielle continued.
“I believed you because I wanted Lily to have a father who came home every night.””
My face burned.
“Danielle, I'm sorry.””
“Don't.””
She placed the photograph down.
“I don't want another apology. I want to know why that woman was standing outside our daughter's hospital room.””
I called Officer Brooks.
She answered immediately.
“Mr. Reed?””
“We found a photograph of Vanessa at the hospital on Friday.””
There was a pause.
“Can you send it to me?””
“I can bring it to the station.””
“Do that. And don't contact Ms. Cole again until we speak with her.””
I looked at Danielle.
“Understood.””
Officer Brooks added something.
“There's another development. The medical examiner's office has completed its preliminary review.””
My stomach tightened.
“What did they find?””
“I'd prefer to discuss that in person.””
“Is there something wrong?””
“I don't want you drawing conclusions from incomplete information.””
“Officer Brooks, please.””
She lowered her voice.
“Your daughter's medical emergency may have involved a delay in recognizing the seriousness of her symptoms.””
I gripped the phone.
“What kind of delay?””
“We're reviewing the timeline.””
I looked at Danielle.
She had heard enough to understand.
Her hand went to her mouth.
“Was she alone?”” I whispered.
“I'm not saying that, Mr. Reed. Come to the station with the photograph.””
The call ended.
Danielle stood.
“I want to go.””
“Okay.””
“And Marcus?””
“Yes?””
“If you lie to me about anything else, we're finished.””
I nodded.
“I understand.””
We drove separately to the station.
Officer Brooks took the photograph and examined it carefully.
“Do you recognize the object she's holding?”” she asked.
“Lily's stuffed rabbit,” Danielle answered.
“Was it missing?””
Danielle nodded.
“After Lily died, I couldn't find it. I assumed it was in her hospital bag.””
Officer Brooks made a note.
“Did you ever give Ms. Cole permission to visit your daughter?””
“No,” Danielle said.
“Did you know she was coming?””
“No.””
Officer Brooks looked at me.
“Mr. Reed?””
I shook my head.
“I had no idea she was there.””
“Did your daughter know Ms. Cole well?””
I hesitated.
“She'd met her a few times.””
Danielle turned sharply.
“How many times?””
“Maybe four.””
“Four?””
“Danielle—”
“You brought that woman around our daughter four times?””
I lowered my head.
Officer Brooks intervened.
“Mrs. Reed, I understand this is difficult. We need to establish the facts.””
Danielle sat back down.
Officer Brooks enlarged the photograph.
“There's something interesting here.””
She pointed toward the hospital entrance.
A second person stood behind Vanessa.
A man wearing a dark jacket.
His face was partially visible in the reflection of the glass.
“Do either of you recognize him?””
I leaned forward.
At first, I didn't.
Then I noticed his watch.
A silver watch with a black face.
My business partner, Ethan Miller, wore the same one.
“That's Ethan,” I whispered.
Officer Brooks looked up.
“Who is Ethan?””
“My business partner.””
“Why would he be at the hospital?””
I couldn't answer.
Ethan had been the person I called when I needed to cover for my absences. He had handled client meetings while I traveled. He knew about Vanessa.
He also knew my phone password.
I had given it to him months earlier so he could access our company accounts during an emergency.
Officer Brooks wrote his name down.
“Did he know about your daughter's illness?””
“Not that I know of.””
Danielle stared at me.
“Did he know you were in Savannah?””
“Yes.””
“Did he know Vanessa was with you?””
I nodded.
She looked away.
Officer Brooks stood.
“We'll need to speak with Mr. Miller.””
I suddenly remembered something.
“Wait.””
She turned.
“On Friday, I received a call from Ethan.””
“When?””
“About two in the afternoon.””
“Did you answer?””
“No. I was in a restaurant with Vanessa.””
“Did he leave a message?””
I opened my email.
There was a voicemail notification.
I played it.
Ethan's voice came through the speaker.
“Marcus, call me. It's important. I need to discuss something about Lily. Don't ignore this one.””
The recording ended.
Danielle looked at me.
“Why didn't you call him back?””
I closed my eyes.
“Because Vanessa and I were having dinner.””
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Officer Brooks copied the recording.
“Mr. Reed, I need Ethan Miller's contact information.””
I gave it to her.
She made a call from the hallway.
Danielle and I sat alone.
After several minutes, she whispered, “What if he knows something?””
“Then we'll find out.””
“What if he was the person who sent that message?””
I looked at her.
“I don't know.””
She shook her head.
“I'm beginning to think nobody in our lives is who we thought they were.””
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unfamiliar number.
Your wife deserves to know what happened before Lily died.
I stared at it.
Another message arrived.
Ask Vanessa why she told Lily that you were leaving your family.
My heart pounded.
I turned the phone toward Danielle.
She read the message.
Then she slowly raised her eyes.
“Marcus?””
“Yes?””
“Did Vanessa tell our daughter you were leaving us?””
“I never said that.””
“That's not what I asked.””
I couldn't answer.
Because suddenly, I remembered something.
Three months earlier, Lily had asked me whether I would still love her if I lived somewhere else.
I'd laughed.
I'd told her not to be silly.
She had looked at me for a long time before asking another question.
“Daddy, if you marry Vanessa, will she let me visit you?””
I'd frozen.
Then I'd told her that Vanessa was just a friend.
I'd promised nothing would change.
Now I understood that Lily had known more than I thought.
I opened the message thread.
“Who sent this?”” I whispered.
Before Danielle could respond, Officer Brooks returned.
“We've located Mr. Miller.””
“Where is he?””
“Not at his office.””
“Then where?””
She looked at her notes.
“His wife reported him missing this morning.””
My stomach dropped.
Officer Brooks continued.
“And there's something else. His vehicle was found outside the hospital parking garage on Friday night.””
Danielle stood.
“Why?””
Officer Brooks looked directly at me.
“Because someone accessed your daughter's hospital records using Mr. Miller's employee credentials.””
I felt the room tilt.
“What records?””
“Her admission information. Her emergency contacts. And a note entered into the system shortly before her condition deteriorated.””
“What did the note say?””
Officer Brooks hesitated.
Then she turned her tablet toward us.
The entry was brief.
Father contacted. Family requested no further calls.
I stared at the screen.
“No,” I whispered.
Danielle grabbed my arm.
“Marcus, you need to look at this.””
Beneath the note was a digital authorization.
My name.
My signature.
And a timestamp of 4:32 p.m. Friday.
I had been sitting in a restaurant in Savannah at 4:32.
I knew because I had a photograph from that exact moment.
Vanessa was sitting beside me.
And my phone was lying faceup on the table.
Officer Brooks closed the tablet.
“Mr. Reed, somebody appears to have used your identity to make a decision concerning your daughter's care.””
I could barely speak.
“What decision?””
She looked at Danielle.
Then back at me.
“We're still investigating. But the hospital is reviewing whether that authorization affected the attempts to contact you or your wife.””
Danielle's knees weakened.
I reached for her.
She pulled away.
“Don't touch me.””
“Danielle—”
“Somebody told our daughter her father didn't want her. Somebody used your name at the hospital. And now you're telling me your girlfriend was there?””
Her voice cracked.
“Who did we bring into our daughter's life?””
My phone vibrated again.
This time, the message came from Vanessa.
Marcus, I know Ethan told you about the hospital.
A second message followed.
But he doesn't know what Lily said to me before she died.
Then the final message appeared.
She told me she knew who had been answering your phone.
I stared at the screen.
Danielle read it over my shoulder.
“Call her,” she whispered.
I dialed immediately.
Vanessa answered.
Her voice was shaking.
“Marcus, listen. I didn't want any of this to happen.””
“Who answered Lily's calls?””
Silence.
“Vanessa, answer me!””
She began crying.
“Marcus, I swear I never wanted to hurt her.””
“Who?””
Then she whispered five words that made my blood run cold.
“Your daughter recognized Ethan's voice.””
May you like
And before I could ask another question, Vanessa added:
“Because he'd called her before, Marcus. He'd been talking to Lily for weeks.””
