Chapter 5 - Linda's Favorite Grandchild
The police did not arrest Linda.
Not that night.
There was too much confusion.
Daniel initially refused to accuse his mother of stealing the laptop because she had sent a message claiming she took it by mistake.
Nobody believed her.
But believing and proving were different things.
Claire barely cared.
She had one priority.
Ellie.
That night, she slept beside her daughter.
Ben slept in the guest room.
Not because Claire told him to.
Because he chose to.
At 2:14 a.m., Claire woke and found him sitting outside Ellie’s bedroom door.
“What are you doing?”
Ben looked up.
“Listening.”
“For what?”
“To make sure she’s okay.”
Claire leaned against the doorway.
“She is.”
Ben nodded.
Neither moved.
Finally he said, “I failed her.”
Claire did not answer.
“I saw you pushing my mother, and I reacted like I always react.”
“What does that mean?”
“I defended Mom.”
“You always do.”
“I know.”
Claire crossed her arms.
“Why?”
Ben stared at the floor.
“Because growing up, keeping her calm was easier than questioning her.”
Claire’s anger shifted.
Not disappeared.
Shifted.
“What was she like?”
Ben gave a tired laugh.
“You met her.”
“No. Before.”
He thought.
“When Mom loved you, everything was good.”
“And when she didn’t?”
Ben looked toward Ellie’s room.
“You tried harder.”
The answer unsettled Claire.
“What about your brother?”
“Daniel learned to disappear.”
“And you?”
“I learned to agree.”
Claire slowly sat opposite him.
“Did she ever hurt you?”
“No.”
Too fast.
Claire noticed.
Ben noticed too.
He looked away.
“Not like today.”
“What does that mean?”
“Mom threw things.”
“At you?”
“Near us.”
Claire said nothing.
“Plates sometimes. A hairbrush. Once a lamp.”
“Ben.”
“It wasn’t every day.”
“That doesn’t make it normal.”
“I know that now.”
Claire studied him.
“Why does she treat Ethan differently from Ellie?”
Ben’s expression tightened.
“I don't know.”
“Think.”
“He's Daniel’s son.”
“So?”
“My mother and Daniel have always had a strange relationship.”
“How?”
“Guilt.”
“About what?”
Ben shook his head.
“She never says.”
Claire remembered every moment Linda had protected Ethan’s belongings.
His chair.
His cup.
His blanket.
His toys.
Not affection.
Possession.
“Was Daniel the difficult child?”
“No.”
“Favorite?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Ben looked at her.
“He was the child Mom almost lost.”
Claire frowned.
“What happened?”
“When Daniel was two, there was an accident.”
“What kind?”
“I don't remember much. Dad never talks about it.”
“Was Daniel injured?”
“Apparently.”
“Because of Linda?”
Ben hesitated.
“I don't know.”
Claire thought about Linda shouting at Ellie.
Keep your hands off his things.
Not “that cup.”
Not “Ethan’s cup.”
His things.
Almost as though Ellie touching Ethan’s belongings represented something larger.
Claire’s phone buzzed.
Daniel.
He had recovered access to his cloud storage.
One automatic backup had survived.
He sent a message.
FOUND SOMETHING.
Then another.
NOT THE KITCHEN CLIP.
SOMETHING OLDER.
Claire looked at Ben.
“What?”
She showed him.
May you like
A third message appeared.
MOM HAS BEEN RECORDING US FOR YEARS.
