Chapter 4 - THE SILVER WATCH
“You shouldn’t be here, Daniel,” Arthur said. He swiftly slid the receipt into his pocket, out of sight.
Daniel closed the door behind him. He looked calmer now, the panic masked by a smooth, corporate polish.
“I had to check on you, Dad. You left abruptly.” Daniel glanced at Lily, who had shrunk back into the oversized armchair, pulling her knees to her chest. “And I see our little guest is still here. Have you called Child Services yet?”
“No.”
“You can’t just keep a strange child in a hotel room.” Daniel took a step closer. “It’s erratic. People are talking. Let me handle this. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
“Like you handled Caroline?”
The question hung in the air. Daniel didn’t flinch, but his eyes grew cold. “Caroline made her choices, Dad. She stole from the foundation. She ran. You know that.”
“I know what you showed me on those balance sheets seven years ago,” Arthur said slowly. “I know what the lawyers said.”
“Facts, Dad. Just facts.” Daniel checked his watch. “I’m taking the girl to the authorities. It’s the right thing to do.”
He reached for Lily.
Lily let out a sharp cry and scrambled out of the chair, hiding behind Arthur’s legs. As she moved, something heavy clattered out of the pocket of her torn sweater and hit the hardwood floor.
It rolled to a stop at Daniel’s feet.
It was a silver pocket watch. Heavy, antique, engraved with the initials D.R.B.
Daniel’s face drained of color. He instinctually patted his own empty vest pocket.
Arthur stared at the watch, then at his son. “That’s your grandfather’s watch. I gave that to you when you made vice president.”
“She stole it,” Daniel snapped, bending down to grab it.
Arthur stepped on the chain, pinning it to the floor. “Don’t touch it.”
He looked down at Lily. “Where did you get this, sweetheart?”
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Lily peeked around Arthur’s leg, her hazel eyes locked on Daniel with a fierce, protective anger that belonged entirely to Caroline.
“Mommy told me to sell it if he ever came back,” Lily said, her voice trembling but clear. “She said he gave it to her the night he made her leave. To buy her silence.”
