Chapter 14
“No,” I said. “But I need to hear her explain why she decided I didn’t deserve the truth.”
He did not ask whether I was coming back to Chicago.
He knew better.
I booked the first flight I could find.
Before leaving, I placed Grace’s urn inside the bedroom closet, away from the window. I didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone in the apartment, though I knew it made no sense.
Then I took the letter and the note she had written to Alexander.
The small brass key remained on the kitchen table.
I picked it up at the last moment and slipped it into my coat pocket.
The flight was delayed nearly an hour because of weather.
I spent that time near the gate, watching people move through the airport with the ordinary purpose of their lives. A father helped his son zip up a jacket. Two women shared a packet of crackers. An elderly couple leaned toward one another as they read the departure board.
Their lives had not stopped.
Mine had, and yet the world continued to ask me to move through it.
When I landed in Chicago, Daniel was waiting at arrivals.
He looked as though he hadn’t slept.
“Mrs. Hayes.”
“You can call me Emily.”
He nodded. “Mr. Hayes asked me to bring you to the hotel.”
“Has he spoken to Olivia?”
“Not yet. She agreed to meet at six.”
“Who else will be there?”
“Mr. Hayes, you, Ms. Carter, and me.”
“Good.”
He took my suitcase, but I kept my handbag.
On the drive, Chicago looked both familiar and distant. The streets were the same, but I felt like someone returning to a house after the family had moved away.
“Daniel,” I said, “how long have you worked for Alexander?”
“Seven years.”
“Did you know about Olivia?”
He kept his eyes on the road. “What do you mean?”
“Did you know he was still in love with her?”
“No.”
“Did he ever tell you that?”
“No.”
“Did she act as though he was?”
Daniel considered his answer. “She acted as though she knew him well.”
“That isn’t the same thing.”
“No.”
“Why did you tell Alexander about the piano?”
“Because you asked.”
“Would you have told him otherwise?”
He was silent for a moment.
“I should have,” he said.
“Why didn’t you?”
“Mr. Hayes is difficult to approach when he’s focused on something. He had been preparing for Ms. Carter’s birthday for days. He gave instructions, reviewed menus, changed the flower arrangements twice.”