Chapter 5: What Was on the Second Phone
The two officers who came in were calm and unhurried in the way that people are when they have walked into difficult houses before and learned not to show their hand early.
The older one — a woman, close to fifty, with short gray-streaked hair — introduced herself as Officer Carver.
Her partner stood slightly behind her and to the left and said very little for the first several minutes.
He was there to watch the room while she talked.
Rosa understood that immediately.
Daniel explained what had happened.
He was clear and sequential about it.
He did not editorialize.
He showed them the video on Marcus's phone, the photograph on Rosa's phone, and the text messages Rosa had sent her sister eleven months ago — no, three weeks ago, Rosa corrected herself, though it felt like longer.
Officer Carver listened without interrupting.
Vanessa stood near the counter with her bag held in front of her with both hands and said nothing.
She had decided, apparently, that silence was now the better strategy.
Rosa watched her and thought about the second phone and said nothing yet either.
"Where are the children now?" Officer Carver asked.
"Upstairs," Daniel said.
"My son is ten.
My daughter just turned four."
"I'd like to speak with them separately, if that's all right with you.
Just briefly.
In a way that's comfortable for them." She looked at Daniel.
"Is there someone they trust who could be in the room?"
Daniel looked at Rosa.
Rosa nodded.
They went upstairs.
Officer Carver, Rosa, and Lily first.
The partner stayed in the kitchen with Daniel and Vanessa.
Lily's room was the way Rosa had left it that morning — the small lamp on, the stuffed rabbit on the pillow, the yellow curtains that Lily had chosen herself because yellow was her favorite and she had told Rosa so approximately forty times.
Officer Carver sat on the floor.
Not in the chair.
Not on the edge of the bed.
On the floor, so that when Lily came and sat across from her, they were the same height.
Rosa had not expected that.
It made something in her chest loosen slightly.
"Hi," Officer Carver said.
"I like your rabbit.
What's his name?"
Lily looked at the rabbit.
Then at the officer.
Then at Rosa.
"Percy," she said.
"Percy is a great name.
Is he a good rabbit?"
"He's the best rabbit."
"I believe you." Officer Carver smiled.
"Lily, I just want to ask you a few things, and you don't have to answer anything you don't want to.
Is that okay?"
Lily nodded.
What followed was quiet and careful and took about twelve minutes.
Officer Carver did not lead.
She asked open questions and waited.
She did not react visibly to anything Lily said, which Rosa understood was deliberate — any reaction, even a sympathetic one, could shape what came next.
Lily talked about the refrigerator.
She said it wasn't the first time.
She said the first time was when she had spilled juice on the kitchen floor and Vanessa had told her that children who made messes needed to learn to be cold.
Rosa closed her eyes for one second.
Then opened them.
"How many times?" Officer Carver asked gently.
Lily held up four fingers.
Then thought about it.
Then added a fifth.
When they came back downstairs, the partner was standing in a slightly different position than before.
Closer to Vanessa.
Not touching her.
Just closer.
Officer Carver looked at her partner.
Something passed between them that Rosa couldn't read but could feel.
"Ms.
Vanessa," Officer Carver said.
"I need to ask you to come with us this evening so we can continue this conversation at the station."
Vanessa's chin came up.
"Am I being arrested?"
"You're being asked to come in voluntarily at this point.
But I do want to be clear that we'll be applying for a warrant for your devices tonight."
The word devices landed in the room.
Vanessa's hands tightened on her bag.
Rosa watched the bag.
"I'd like to call my lawyer before I go anywhere," Vanessa said.
"Of course.
You can do that now."
Vanessa reached into her bag.
Rosa watched her hand.
It went to the main pocket, pulled out the phone Rosa recognized — the one Vanessa used for everything visible, for texts and calls and the family calendar she managed — and began to dial.
The second phone didn't move.
Rosa waited until Officer Carver had turned slightly to speak to Daniel.
Then Rosa stepped forward.
"Excuse me," she said quietly.
"I'm sorry.
I need to mention something."
Officer Carver turned back.
Rosa looked at Vanessa's bag.
"There's a second phone in the outer pocket.
I saw her put it there before you arrived.
I've never seen it before tonight."
The silence that followed was very short.
Officer Carver looked at Vanessa.
Vanessa looked at Rosa.
And for the first time all evening, Vanessa looked at Rosa the way you look at someone who has genuinely surprised you.
"I'd like to see the bag," Officer Carver said.
May you like
Not a question.
Vanessa's lawyer answered on the third ring.
