Chapter 8: Grandpa's Other House
"What other little girl?""
Emily asked it softly.
Too softly.
Like raising her voice might break whatever fragile door Lily had finally opened.
Lily hugged her rabbit.
"I don't know.""
"Did you see her?"" I asked.
Lily shook her head.
"Just her stuff.""
"What stuff?""
"Pictures. Toys. A purple bracelet.""
I stopped breathing.
Rebecca.
Emily saw my face.
"Daniel?""
"Rebecca wore a purple bracelet.""
Lily looked at me.
"Who's Rebecca?""
I couldn't answer.
Not yet.
"Sweetheart, when did Grandma take you to this house?""
"When you went away.""
My mind raced.
"We went away?""
"To Mommy's work thing.""
Emily's eyes widened.
"The conference.""
Six weeks earlier, Emily and I had spent one night in Baltimore for her company's annual conference.
Margaret had offered to keep Lily.
Lily had stayed with my parents.
Or so we thought.
"Did Grandpa go too?"" Emily asked.
Lily nodded.
"Grandpa drove.""
That changed everything.
Robert knew about the house.
I stood.
Emily grabbed my wrist.
"Don't call him in front of her.""
She was right.
We finished talking to Lily gently.
No leading questions.
No demands.
Just enough to understand one thing.
My parents had taken our daughter somewhere without telling us.
After Lily went downstairs to watch cartoons, I called Robert.
He answered immediately.
"Did Rebecca call again?""
"What's the other house?""
Silence.
"Dad.""
"What did Lily tell you?""
My stomach twisted.
"So there is another house.""
"Daniel—"
"Where is it?""
"It's not what you're thinking.""
"Stop saying that!""
Emily touched my arm.
I lowered my voice.
"You took my daughter there.""
Robert exhaled.
"Your mother wanted to pick up some boxes.""
"Where?""
"Lake Mercer.""
I knew the area.
About forty minutes outside town.
Old cottages.
Vacation homes.
My grandparents once owned property there.
"Whose house is it?""
"It belonged to your grandmother.""
"Why have I never heard about it?""
"Margaret inherited it.""
"Address.""
"Daniel.""
"Give me the address.""
He did.
Then I asked the question that mattered.
"What's in the yellow room?""
Robert didn't answer.
"You've been inside.""
"Yes.""
"So tell me.""
"Your mother's old things.""
"Lily said there were children's things.""
Another silence.
Then Robert whispered, "Rebecca's.""
My anger vanished for a second.
Replaced by confusion.
"Why?""
"I don't know.""
"You're lying.""
"I'm not.""
"You drove Mom and Lily there.""
"Your mother said she wanted to clear the room.""
"Did she?""
"No.""
"What did she do?""
Robert hesitated.
"She took Lily inside.""
"Alone?""
"Only for a few minutes.""
I closed my eyes.
"You let her.""
"I didn't know—"
"You never know!""
The words exploded out of me.
"You didn't know what happened to me. You didn't know what happened to Rebecca. Now you didn't know what she was doing with Lily.""
Robert said nothing.
Then, quietly:
"You're right.""
That stopped me.
"I should've asked questions thirty years ago.""
His voice cracked.
"I should've asked them six weeks ago.""
I didn't forgive him.
But for the first time, he wasn't defending himself.
"Where's Mom?""
"I don't know.""
"Does she have a key to the lake house?""
"Yes.""
I looked at Emily.
"We're going there.""
She nodded.
"No," Robert said immediately.
"Why?""
"Because Margaret may already be there.""
"Then I'm definitely going.""
"Daniel, wait for me.""
I almost refused.
Then I remembered Rebecca's warning.
I didn't know what Robert knew.
But if he was involved, I wanted him where I could see him.
"Meet us there.""
We left Lily with Emily's sister, Anna.
Lily clung to me before we left.
"Daddy?""
"Yeah?""
"Don't be mad at the yellow room.""
I crouched.
"I'm not mad at any room.""
She touched my cheek.
"Grandma gets mad there.""
A cold feeling moved through me.
"Why?""
Lily looked toward Emily.
Then whispered, "Because I touched the bracelet.""
Forty minutes later, we reached Lake Mercer.
The house sat behind tall pine trees.
Small.
White siding.
Dark windows.
Robert's truck was already outside.
He stood beside it.
"I haven't gone in.""
I walked past him.
The front door was unlocked.
Inside, the air smelled closed-up and damp.
Dust covered the furniture.
But footprints crossed the floor.
Fresh ones.
Emily noticed too.
"Someone's been here.""
Robert swallowed.
"Margaret.""
We followed the prints upstairs.
At the end of the hallway was a yellow door.
Not a yellow room.
A yellow door.
I reached for the handle.
Locked.
Robert disappeared downstairs and returned with a key.
"Where did you get that?""
"Kitchen drawer.""
The door opened.
Emily gasped.
The room looked frozen in time.
A child's bed.
Books.
A wooden dollhouse.
Photographs covering one wall.
Rebecca.
At twelve.
Rebecca and me.
Rebecca holding baby me.
Rebecca standing beside Aunt Helen.
But someone had added newer photographs.
My stomach dropped.
Lily at the park.
Lily leaving preschool.
Lily in our backyard.
Emily grabbed my arm.
"Daniel.""
There were dozens.
Some we had never seen.
Robert stumbled backward.
"Oh God.""
On the desk sat the purple bracelet.
Beside it was a photograph turned facedown.
I picked it up.
It wasn't Rebecca.
It was Margaret.
Young.
Maybe twenty.
She was holding two babies.
On the back, someone had written three words.
*Only one stayed.*
"What does that mean?"" Emily whispered.
Before I could answer, we heard a car outside.
Robert moved toward the window.
His face changed.
"Daniel.""
"What?""
"That's Margaret's car.""
The front door opened downstairs.
May you like
Then my mother's voice echoed through the house.
"I knew you'd come.""
