Chapter 4 - A Place at the Wrong Table
Gabriel's father had taught him that a family table should always have room for one more chair. By Christmas Eve, Gabriel understood that his mother's table had been used to decide who belonged and who didn't.
He moved Rosie into his own suite and asked Mrs. Alvarez to stay in the adjoining room if Rosie wanted her nearby. He also arranged for Dr. Bell to recommend a child counselor and documented the condition of the garage room and the cardboard sign. Evelyn called the precautions theatrical.
"You are making your daughter think she's a victim," she said.
"She was locked outside in a storm."
"For ten minutes."
"You don't get to set a timer on cruelty."
Rosie was at the kitchen island making paper snowflakes with Mrs. Alvarez when the first guest arrived. Aunt June, Walter's older sister, came through the front door carrying a fruitcake and a cane decorated with red tape. She was eighty-one and had never mistaken politeness for silence.
"Why is that child wearing your coat?" she asked Gabriel.
"Because someone left her outside without one."
June set the fruitcake down. "Evelyn, explain yourself."
"Not in front of company."
"I am family. That makes me the correct audience."
Evelyn retreated to the dining room. June sat with Rosie, praised her snowflakes, and quietly asked whether she wanted another grown-up to listen. Rosie nodded. Gabriel watched his aunt make room for the child without demanding a performance from her.
When June saw the photograph from Walter's workshop, she nearly dropped her tea.
"That's Margaret Voss," she said.
"Who is she?"
"A bookkeeper Walter employed before you were born. She found discrepancies in the company accounts. Then she vanished. Evelyn said she'd gone to Arizona."
"And the child?"
June studied the picture. "I don't know. Walter never showed me this."
At dinner, Gabriel set a place for Rosie beside him. Celeste had instructed the caterers to remove the child's plate, claiming she'd be eating in the kitchen. Gabriel brought the plate back himself.
"You don't have to make a scene," Celeste whispered.
"Then stop creating one."
Rosie took one small piece of turkey. When she asked for potatoes, Daniel made a noise under his breath. Gabriel passed her the bowl without looking at him.
June raised her glass. "To Walter. He always said the person who needs a seat most is usually the one somebody forgot."
Owen looked at Rosie. "Can I sit with you?"
Celeste opened her mouth, but Gabriel moved a chair. The two children ate quietly together. Halfway through the meal, Owen slid a folded napkin toward Rosie. Inside was a small silver bell from the angel's wing.
"I found it in Dad's desk," he said. "I thought you should have it."
Daniel lunged for the bell. Gabriel caught his wrist before he reached the children.
"Take your hand away from this table," Gabriel said.
Daniel backed off, breathing hard. Celeste announced she and her family were leaving, but Evelyn stopped her with a look. There were still guests present, and appearances mattered more to her than an exit.
After dinner, June told Gabriel that Margaret Voss had once accused Evelyn of using company funds to support a second household. Walter had refused to discuss the allegation. A month later, the old bookkeeper's records disappeared in a fire at the company's warehouse.
"I thought your father buried it," June said. "Maybe he kept digging."
Gabriel showed her the bank statement. June pointed to a recurring payment labeled HARBOR HOUSE.
"That was a home for unmarried mothers," she said. "It closed years ago."
"Why would Dad send money there?"
"Ask the woman in the photograph."
At bedtime, Rosie handed Gabriel a paper snowflake with seven uneven points. "Mrs. Alvarez says every one is different."
"She's right."
"Grandma says I make things wrong."
"Grandma was wrong about you."
Rosie considered that carefully. "Can grown-ups be wrong for a long time?"
"Yes," he said. "And they still have to make it right."
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After she fell asleep, a message arrived from an unknown number: STOP ASKING ABOUT MARGARET. WALTER DIDN'T DIE FROM HIS HEART.
Attached was a photograph of Walter's final Christmas dinner. At the edge of the image, almost cropped out, stood the woman with the green shoes.
