Chapter 3 - WHO DID THIS TO YOU?
Daniel brought Noah into the kitchen.
The boy stood near the door as though he might need to escape.
Claire poured a glass of water.
Noah refused to take it from her.
Daniel filled another glass himself.
Noah drank too quickly.
“Slow down.”
The boy obeyed immediately.
Too immediately.
Daniel opened the refrigerator.
It was full.
Fresh fruit.
Prepared meals.
Imported desserts.
“What did you eat tonight?”
Noah looked at Claire.
Daniel moved between them.
“You can answer me.”
“Crackers.”
“What else?”
“Nothing.”
Claire placed the glass on the counter.
“He refused dinner.”
Noah shook his head.
“She didn’t bring it.”
“Stop lying.”
Noah became silent.
Daniel looked at Claire.
“Do not speak to him like that.”
“He has spent months turning you against me.”
“I learned about this ten minutes ago.”
“And you already decided I’m guilty.”
Daniel crouched to Noah’s height.
“When did you last eat a real meal?”
Noah struggled to remember.
“At school.”
“Today?”
Claire answered.
“He has been studying at home.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You told me he was attending school.”
“He was temporarily suspended.”
“For what?”
“Aggression.”
Daniel faced Noah.
“Did you hurt someone?”
The boy’s eyes filled again.
“No.”
Claire gave a soft laugh.
“The school disagrees.”
Daniel picked up his phone.
“What school official called?”
“I handled it.”
“I asked who called.”
Claire did not answer.
Daniel dialed the family physician.
While waiting, he noticed a faint mark around Noah’s wrist.
Not a bruise.
A narrow red line.
“What happened here?”
Noah pulled his sleeve down.
“The rope.”
Claire’s face changed.
Daniel’s entire body became still.
“What rope?”
Noah looked toward the backyard.
“The doghouse door wouldn’t stay closed.”
Claire stepped forward.
“That is enough.”
Daniel stood between them.
“No. It is not.”
He asked Noah again.
“Who tied the door?”
The boy stared at the marble floor.
Then he pointed toward Claire.
She did not panic.
She became offended.
“He is a disturbed child.”
Noah moved behind Daniel.
Claire continued.
“His mother’s death affected him more than you admit. He steals. He breaks things. He invents stories.”
Daniel felt Noah’s fingers grip the back of his suit.
Claire looked at the hand.
“See how he performs when you are watching?”
Daniel turned slightly.
“Noah, did Claire tell you I wanted you punished?”
The boy nodded.
“She played your message.”
“What message?”
“You said she should do whatever was necessary.”
Daniel remembered leaving a voicemail before his trip.
Noah had refused to complete an online mathematics assignment.
Daniel told Claire:
Do whatever is necessary to help him finish.
Claire had given those words another meaning.
Noah looked up at him.
“You said I needed to learn.”
Daniel understood why his son moved backward.
May you like
Claire had not only locked him outside.
She had placed Daniel’s voice on the other side of the door.
