Chapter 4

Dad stumbled back like someone had shoved him.

“Emily wrote a letter?”

Emily was my mother’s name.

I almost never heard it spoken in our house.

Karen said it made everyone sad.

But really, I think it made her angry.

Aunt Sarah pulled out a folded paper sealed in a plastic sleeve.

“She gave it to me two weeks before she died.”

Dad reached for it.

Aunt Sarah pulled it back.

“No.”

His face crumpled.

“Sarah.”

“You don’t get to hold it yet.”

Karen whispered, “This is cruel.”

Aunt Sarah turned on her.

“No, Karen. Cruel is trying to feed a child a strawberry cake while smiling at guests.”

The police arrived before anyone could answer.

Two officers came through the side gate.

Behind them was a paramedic.

Lucas started crying again when he saw the uniform.

He remembered ambulances.

I grabbed his hand.

“It’s okay,” I whispered.

But I did not know if it was.

The paramedic checked Lucas.

No cake in his mouth.

No swelling.

No rash.

He was safe.

Only because I had reached him in time.

That thought made my stomach hurt.

Officer Ramirez listened to Aunt Sarah.

Then to Dad.

Then to me.

When it was my turn, I stared at my shoes.

Karen stood only a few feet away.

Officer Ramirez noticed.

He turned to another officer.

“Please keep Ms. Walker inside the patio area.”

Ms. Walker.

Not Mom.

Not Mrs. anything.

Just Karen Walker.

Karen looked like she had been slapped.

The officer knelt in front of me.

“You can tell me what happened.”

I whispered, “She tried to make him eat it.”

“Did she know he was allergic?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

I looked at Lucas.

Then at Dad.

Then at Karen.

“Because she said maybe if he got sick enough, Dad would finally understand weak children shouldn’t control a family.”

Dad made a sound.

Not a word.

A broken sound.

Karen screamed, “She’s lying!”

Officer Ramirez stood.

“Ma’am, enough.”

Aunt Sarah handed him copies of the documents.

Then she gave him the cake box.

Then the video someone had taken on their phone.

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Karen watched it all leave her control.

And for the first time, she looked truly afraid.