Several boxes were stacked in the hallway, and two men were carrying furniture toward a van.
Some boxes had FRANK written across the sides.
His shoes sat beside the staircase.
His travel bag was on a chair.
His cane leaned against the wall.
Claire had sent almost none of these things back to me.
For one wild second, I wondered whether the message in the ring was warning me about something far worse than an ordinary lie.
I stepped inside.
“Claire?”
She came out of the kitchen carrying a box.
The instant she saw me, she nearly dropped it.
Her first words weren’t hello.
“You weren’t supposed to come here.”
I stared at her.
“That’s an interesting thing to say.”
Her expression changed immediately.
“I meant I would have picked you up.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Diane—”
“Why are Frank’s things still here?”
“I was planning to ship everything.”
“You told me the hospital lost most of it.”
Claire glanced toward the stairs.
That was when I noticed Frank’s phone lying on the kitchen counter.
I crossed the room and picked it up.
Claire moved toward me immediately.
“Give me that.”
I pressed the phone against my chest.
“You told me this was missing too.”
She stopped.
Neither of us said anything.
Then the boy appeared at the top of the staircase.
Frank’s cap was still on his head.
He looked at me, then at Claire.
“Mom?”
Mom.
Claire shut her eyes.
“Go upstairs, Eli.”
The boy studied me curiously.
“Who is she?”
“Upstairs. Please.”
He disappeared again.
I turned back to Claire.
