Chapter 3: The Card She Said She Found
The plates were still on the table when Mr. Balanki said dinner was finished.
He didn't raise his voice. He just set his napkin down and said, "Thank you, everyone. Let's give Lily and her mom some space." The tuxedo guest stood right away like he'd been waiting for permission. He nodded at Mr. Balanki and didn't look at Selene or at me.
My mom's hand was on my shoulder. It was tight. She tried to guide me toward the hallway and I could feel her fingers shaking a little through my dress. I didn't want to go but I went because she was pulling me.
Behind us, I heard Selene's heels shift on the wood floor. She stayed by the table. She had her clutch held in front of her with both hands the way I'd seen her hold it earlier.
I was five steps into the hallway when Selene started talking. Her voice was sweet again, but thinner.
"I just found it on the floor outside your room, Drew," she said. "It must have fallen when you came out this morning. I was going to give it back to you. I picked it up so it wouldn't get lost."
The hallway was cool and darker than the dining room. The blue light from the doorway made the edge of the dining chair look sharp. Mom kept walking, but I slowed down near the corner where the wall turned. I could still see them through the doorway.
Mr. Balanki hadn't moved. He stood with his hand still on the back of my chair, the one he'd said was mine for the night. His watch caught the candlelight.
"That room is always locked, Selene," he said. His voice was low and even. "You know that. I keep the key on me."
There was a small pause before she answered. I could hear her breathe.
"I know, honey. The door was cracked open. Just an inch. I thought maybe you'd forgotten. I didn't go in, I swear. I just saw that little cream card right inside by the doorway and I grabbed it. I didn't think it was a big deal."
She smiled while she said it. I could see it even from the hallway. Her lips were tight and she kept squeezing that clutch.
Mr. Balanki looked at the clutch then, not at her face. He tilted his head a little.
"What did it look like?" he asked.
Selene blinked. "What?"
"The card," he said. "If you picked it up in the hallway, what did it look like?"
"It was... it was small. Cream-colored. Like a hotel key or something. I put it in my clutch so I wouldn't lose it," she said quickly. She held the clutch a little higher, like she was offering to show him, but she didn't open it.
Mom tugged my arm again. She whispered, "Lily, come on," but I couldn't move yet. My shoes were stuck on the rug.
Mr. Balanki didn't reach for the clutch. He just nodded once, slow.
"I've never left that door unlocked," he said. "Not once since we moved in. That key never leaves my pocket."
"I believe you," Selene said. Her voice got softer. "Maybe the cleaning staff— I mean your housekeeper — maybe she left it ajar when she was dusting? I wasn't snooping, Drew. You know I wouldn't."
She took a half step toward him. He didn't step back, but he didn't step toward her either. His hand left the chair and went to his pants pocket for a second, like he was checking something was still there.
"I didn't say you were snooping," he said.
That made her go quiet. The candles on the table popped a little. I could hear the fireplace ticking.
Selene laughed then, a short laugh that didn't sound real. "You're being so serious over a little card. It's nothing, okay? I'll give it back right now and we can forget it. The kid probably didn't even know what she saw."
My chest got hot when she said that. Mom's hand tightened again.
Mr. Balanki looked toward the hallway then. Not right at me, but close. I thought he saw my pink dress in the shadows. His eyes moved back to Selene.
"We'll talk about it later," he said. He spoke calmly, but his jaw was tight. "Keep it safe for now."
Selene's shoulders dropped a little like she thought that meant it was over. "Of course. It's in here. See? Safe." She patted the clutch.
"Good," he said. "Go get some air. I'll clean up here."
She hesitated. She wanted him to say more, to say it was fine. He didn't. After a second she turned and walked toward the other doorway, her heels clicking, holding that clutch with both hands against her stomach.
Mr. Balanki stayed in the dining room alone for a moment. He looked at the empty chair, then at the doorway to the locked room down the hall. He slid his hand into his pocket again and I heard a faint jingle, like a key.
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He didn't go to the locked room. Not yet. He just stood there breathing slow, staring at the hallway like he was doing math in his head.
Mom finally pulled me around the corner into the dark hall and whispered, "We need to be out of sight, baby," and I let her pull me, but I kept that picture in my head — Selene holding her clutch tight, and Mr. Balanki not believing her at all, but pretending he did for now.
