Chương 3 - The Phone In Jenna's Purse
The vestibule was too quiet after the ballroom. The marble ate sound. Elise had her arms crossed tight under her chest and Kyra stood with her back against the wall next to the coat check sign, her burgundy dress dark in that low light. My pulse was still up in my ears.
I crouched down so I was level with Kyra. I kept my voice low enough that Elise had to lean in to hear it.
"Hey, kiddo. You said mom has the video on her phone. When did you take it?"
Kyra didn't look at Elise. She looked at me. Her hands were clasped together in front of her.
"Tuesday," she said. "When you were at work and Elise was watching me. She was on the phone in the closet. I FaceTimed mom because I was bored. Mom said to show her my dress and I flipped the camera. Mom hit the red button to save it."
Elise made a noise like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Adam, come on. Your eight-year-old is describing FaceTime like it's a security system. This is insane."
I didn't answer her right away. I stayed crouched.
"You're saying you called your mom and she screen-recorded it?" I asked Kyra.
She nodded once. "She said 'hold on' and then she recorded. It's on her phone."
Elise stepped closer and her voice went sharper.
"That is not what happened. Kyra was playing in my closet. She knocked a pillow off the shelf. I put it back. That's it. She's mixing it up. Ask Jenna. She'll tell you Kyra makes up stories for attention."
Kyra's mouth pressed into a line but she didn't argue. She just stared at the floor.
I stood up and pulled my phone out of my inside tuxedo pocket. My hands weren't steady. I could see Elise watching the screen over my shoulder.
Jenna was waiting in the parking lot. That had been the plan all week. She'd dropped Kyra off at the foundation building at six, I would bring Kyra out by nine-thirty so Jenna could do the school-night pickup and avoid the whole late gala thing. Jenna hated these events and I hadn't wanted Kyra to have to sleep over at a hotel ballroom.
I texted: Are you still in the lot? Need you.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Jenna: I'm in row 2 by the south entrance. Black Pilot. What's wrong? Is Kyra ok?
I typed: Kyra says she FaceTimed you Tuesday from Elise's closet and you screen-recorded. That you have a video. Do you have it?
I felt Elise's hand on my forearm.
"Don't drag Jenna into this. She wasn't even there," she said.
I lifted my arm so her hand fell away.
My phone buzzed.
Jenna: I do have something. 22 seconds. She called me late afternoon. She was whispering. I hit screen record because she looked nervous hiding in that closet. I haven't watched the whole thing. I heard you in the background? I thought it was just kid stuff. Do you want me to come in?
Elise read it as I read it. Her face changed.
"She hasn't even watched it," she said quickly. "Adam, listen to yourself. You're going to let an unwatched, out-of-context clip from a child ruin tonight? It could be anything. A sofa pillow? Jenna's apartment has like six of those."
I looked at Kyra. "Is your mom outside right now?"
Kyra nodded. "She said she'd wait till nine thirty."
I typed back: Can you bring your phone to the vestibule by the coat check? South hall. Don't bring it into the ballroom. Just you.
Jenna: On my way. 2 min. Do not let Kyra out of your sight.
I put my phone away. Elise's breathing had gotten faster. She smoothed the front of her dress with both hands. The bump was still there, neat and rounded under the fabric.
"Fine," she said. "Let her bring it. But nobody watches anything without context. That's my closet, my private things, and you need my permission. That video is either fake or it's a misunderstanding and I'm not going to be tried in a hallway over a pillow."
"We're not trying anybody," I said. "We're going to look at what my daughter says she saw."
"And if it's nothing?" Elise asked. She looked at Kyra then back at me. "What then? Do you apologize to me in front of two hundred donors?"
Kyra reached out then and tugged the edge of my white vest. It was a small pull, just enough to get my attention.
"Dad, don't be mad at mom," she whispered.
I put my hand over hers. "I'm not mad at anyone, honey. I'm just going to look."
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Through the double doors behind us, a server passed with a tray of champagne. The band started a low cover song. Elise didn't move toward the ballroom. She stood with her back to the exit, blocking the view from anyone who might glance down the hall, and checked her phone quickly as if looking for someone to call.
Outside the glass doors at the far end of the vestibule, headlights swept across the concrete as a car turned into the lot. Jenna was coming inside. I hadn't seen the footage yet, and already I could feel how that twenty-two seconds was going to change the distance between all of us.
