Chapter 2 - The Woman Daniel Chose to Believe
Daniel did not let Vanessa leave the foyer.
He did not touch her either.
That mattered after what he had just done to Grace.
“Where’s Mom’s communication board?”
Vanessa looked offended.
“How would I know?”
Grace wiped her face.
“It was attached to her chair this morning.”
Vanessa turned on her.
“You’re still here?”
Daniel flinched.
Minutes earlier, that sentence would have sounded reasonable to him.
Now it sounded like fear.
“Grace stays.”
She looked at him.
“You fired me.”
“I was wrong.”
“You kicked me.”
Daniel’s face tightened.
“I know.”
“And hit me.”
“I know.”
Grace looked away.
An apology could wait.
Margaret could not.
Daniel crouched beside his mother.
“Mom, are you hurt?”
Margaret shook her head weakly.
“Did Vanessa push you?”
Margaret pointed again.
Vanessa threw up both hands.
“She’s scared. Lisa’s copying her.”
Lisa stamped her foot.
Daniel looked at his daughter.
“What did you see?”
Lisa immediately repeated the gesture.
Two hands.
Hard shove.
Wheelchair.
Vanessa.
Then Lisa pointed toward the upstairs hallway.
Daniel followed her gaze.
“Show me.”
Vanessa stepped between them.
“She needs to calm down.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Move.”
Something in his voice made her obey.
Lisa led him upstairs.
Margaret remained below with Grace.
At the top landing, Lisa stopped beside a narrow console table.
She opened the bottom drawer.
Empty.
Then she pointed toward Vanessa’s bedroom.
Daniel felt a chill.
“You want me to look in there?”
Lisa nodded.
Vanessa appeared behind him.
“You are not searching my things because a seven-year-old is waving her hands around.”
Daniel turned slowly.
“She’s communicating.”
“She’s upset.”
“She’s communicating.”
It was the first time he had corrected Vanessa instead of translating Lisa through her.
Vanessa’s expression hardened.
Daniel entered the bedroom.
Inside Vanessa’s desk drawer, beneath stationery and charging cables, he found Margaret’s laminated communication board.
Beside it was something else.
A black tablet in a thick pink protective case.
Lisa’s AAC device.
Daniel stared at it.
For six weeks, Vanessa had told him it was away for repair.
Lisa walked into the room.
The moment she saw the tablet, tears filled her eyes.
Daniel looked at his wife.
“You told me this was broken.”
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“It was causing behavioral problems.”
Lisa grabbed Daniel’s sleeve.
He looked down.
She pointed toward herself.
Then toward the tablet.
Then at Vanessa.
Daniel understood only part of it.
May you like
But one thing became impossible to ignore.
His wife had hidden the voices of the two people in the house who could not speak aloud.
