Chapter 1 – The Coat in the Hallway
The glow of my laptop screen felt unnaturally bright in the dark kitchen. I stared at the name Patricia Hale, Family Law, my finger hovering over the mousepad.
Before I could click ‘Submit’ on the consultation form, the floorboards groaned in the hallway.
I snapped the laptop shut. The sudden clack echoed off the tile, too loud for two in the morning.
Footsteps stopped just outside the kitchen archway. I held my breath, waiting for Daniel to turn the corner and ask why I was awake. But the shadow didn’t move toward me. It moved toward the coat rack.
I slipped silently from my chair and peered around the doorframe. Daniel had his back to me. He was digging frantically through the pockets of his charcoal wool overcoat, the one he had worn to Linda’s dinner. His shoulders were tense, his breathing shallow.
He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, stared at it for a long second in the moonlight, and shoved it deep into his pajama pocket.
“What are you looking for, Daniel?” I asked quietly.
He spun around, knocking his elbow against the wall. “Nothing. I thought I lost my keys.”
“Your keys are on the counter,” I said, pointing to the silver bowl. “They’ve been there since we got home.”
His eyes darted to the bowl, then back to me. “Right. I just… couldn’t sleep. The stress from my mother, you know.”
He was lying. Daniel only rubbed the back of his neck when he was lying. I took a step closer, my eyes fixed on the pocket where he had hidden the paper.
“Show me,” I said.
“It’s nothing. Just a dry-cleaning receipt.” He tried to step around me, but I blocked his path.
“Daniel. If you are hiding something from me after what your mother did to our daughter, I will pack their bags tonight.”
He froze. The mention of leaving finally cracked the practiced calm he’d held since the dinner party. His hand trembled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled paper.
He handed it to me without looking at my face.
I smoothed out the creases under the dim hallway light. It wasn’t a receipt. It was a one-way boarding pass to Seattle, booked in Daniel’s name. And the departure date was tomorrow.
