The Last Time I Saw You

by Liv Constantine

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  23

  “When does my party start, Mommy?” Annabelle asked Kate, causing her to look up from the phone in her hand. She was on Facebook, looking at Sabrina’s page to see if she’d added any new photos. Ever since Blaire had shown it to her, she’d been obsessively checking the site. She put the phone down.

  “Everyone’s coming at five, in just a few hours. You get to stay up late tonight.” Kate and Simon had always made sure that Annabelle’s birthday was fully celebrated despite the fact that it was a few days after Christmas. She never wanted her to resent it being so close to the holidays.

  “But not too late,” Hilda put in.

  Kate bristled. “It’s your birthday, and you can stay up as late as you want.” She gave Hilda a pointed look, and Hilda said nothing.

  Annabelle beamed. “I’m almost five!” Kate smiled at her daughter as they sat down to have some lunch. “Can I have some apple juice?”

  “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll get it,” Hilda answered before Kate could.

  Hilda stood in front of the open refrigerator door for a moment and then turned around. “Kate, why are your EpiPens in here?”

  “What?” Kate rose and hurried over. “Who would’ve done that?” Everyone who worked at the house knew that the EpiPens had to be kept at room temperature.

  Hilda pulled them out and shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  Kate felt heat rise in her chest. Hilda was looking at her like she thought Kate had done it. She snatched them from Hilda’s hand and threw them into the trash. “They’re no good now!”

  Kate took her seat again next to Annabelle. She was trying to put on a cheerful face for her daughter, but her mood was dark. The day before, she’d gone through the house and checked all the expiration dates on the EpiPens. That text about the nut allergy statistics had made her nervous. She’d put them all back in their proper places, though, hadn’t she? She had put a few high up on a cabinet shelf yesterday when Hilda interrupted her, asking some things about the birthday party. But Kate wouldn’t have been so absentminded as to put them in the refrigerator, would she?

  Hilda took the apple juice from the refrigerator and poured a glass for Annabelle. “I’ll get one of the epis from the dining room.” Her voice startled Kate. Maybe Hilda was trying to drive her crazy. Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, bracing herself, and blew out a breath when she saw it was Blaire.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hi there. Just wanted to see if you need me to pick anything up for the party tonight while I’m out.”

  “Thanks, but I think Fleur took care of everything. Do you have a lot of errands to run?”

  “Just a couple. But I also decided my nails aren’t fit to be seen, so I’m getting a manicure. I have to stop back at the Four Seasons for more clothes anyhow, so I’ll have it done there. I’ll be back to help before the party starts. You sound stressed.”

  Kate stood and moved from the kitchen to the hallway, out of Annabelle and Hilda’s hearing. “Blaire, my mind’s racing. Someone put my EpiPens in the refrigerator. I think it was Hilda!”

  “What?” Blaire said.

  The words rushed out. “Maybe she’s sabotaging me? Or Simon, maybe. I don’t know. Someone is trying to make me look crazy. When is this going to stop?”

  “Try to calm down. Do something to try and relax. Make some tea? Have a bath? I’ll see you in a few hours, okay?”

  “A hot bath does sound like a good idea. See you later.” Kate hung up and went to the kitchen. “I’m going upstairs. Will you bring Annabelle up when she’s finished her lunch?”

  Once upstairs, she sat on the edge of the bed, her leg jiggling. She thought about Hilda, and the way she acted like Annabelle was her child. Hilda’s daughter had moved away a few years ago with Hilda’s granddaughter, who was about Annabelle’s age. What if the reason her own daughter had moved to California was because Hilda was unstable? There were plenty of stories about crazy nannies.

  It could really still be anyone, Kate thought. Georgina had always been jealous of Lily, coveting her beauty and charm. Maybe coveting her husband as well? Or Selby. Maybe she’d only been pretending to be a good friend all these years. She was one of the few people who had easy access to Kate’s house, to Annabelle. Could she be in on it with Georgina somehow? But she knew that seemed far-fetched. Simon was the more likely suspect. He’d admitted the other day that the client he was talking to was unhappy. And there was that urgent call he’d taken on the day of her mother’s funeral. Maybe his business was in trouble. A lot of their cash was tied up in the foundation. Simon could have somehow been aware of Lily’s intended provision for them. Money was a strong motive for murder.

  She leaned back against the pillow and closed her eyes. She was so tired. Maybe she’d catch a few minutes of sleep. Her temples were pounding, and she felt as though a thousand voices were screaming inside her head.

  “Mommy! Mommy!”

  “What?” Kate snapped as her eyes flew open.

  Annabelle’s lower lip trembled, and she began to cry. “I was talking, and you didn’t answer me.”

  Hilda was standing behind her. “I’m sorry, Kate. I knocked a few times. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I fell asleep for a second. You can leave Annabelle with me.” She reached out her arms to her daughter. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Come here.”

  Hilda looked surprised. “Okay. Are you sure you don’t want me to take her, so you can get dressed?”

  The woman really was trying to come between them. “No. Thank you very much.”

  Hilda gave her a strange look. “Okay, well, let me know. How about if I get her ready for the party when the movie is over?”

  “How about you take the afternoon off? I’ll get her dressed. I’ll see you at the party.”

  Hilda left the room, and Annabelle jumped up on the bed next to her mother. “I miss Grammy. I want her to come to my party.”

  Kate blinked, holding back tears, pain spreading through her chest. When all of this was over, she was still going to have to grieve. “I miss her too. I wish nothing more than that she could be here. But she’s in heaven. She’ll be watching. I promise.”

  Annabelle jumped from the bed and stood in front of her. “I don’t want her in heaven. It’s not fair. She promised she would take me to a big-girl lunch in New York for my birthday. Why did she leave?”

  “Oh, sweetie. It’s not her fault. She didn’t want to leave. Sometimes things just happen.” Kate struggled to find the right words. She’d foolishly thought that Annabelle had accepted her explanation that it was time for Grammy to go to heaven, but of course the little girl didn’t understand. She was far too young to grasp the finality of death. Kate had been so caught up in everything else that she hadn’t focused enough on Annabelle’s emotional well-being.

  “Hilda said that a bad person hurt her.”

  Kate froze. “What else did she say?”

  “I don’t know,” Annabelle said. “I want to watch Beauty and the Beast.”

  Kate didn’t want to press Annabelle now, but she wouldn’t forget to follow up. Hilda should not be telling Annabelle about Lily’s murder, no matter how vague she thought she was being. “Okay, sweetie. I’ll watch with you.”

  She streamed the movie, and the two of them snuggled on the bed, Kate dozing on and off while the movie played.

  “It’s over, Mommy.”

  Kate rubbed her eyes and looked at her watch. “Oh. It’s time to get dressed.”

  She chose a cheerful pink sweater and navy slacks for herself, and made her voice bright.

  “Okay, birthday girl, ready to put on your party dress?”

  “Is it time for my party?”

  “Almost.”

  When they entered Annabelle’s room, her dress was already laid on the bed, along with her shoes, socks, and a bow for her hair. Kate got angry again. She’d told Hilda that she’d get Annabelle dre
ssed. Did the woman think she couldn’t pick out clothes for her own daughter?

  “Let’s find a different dress,” she said to Annabelle.

  “No, Mommy, I like this one.”

  Kate was not about to let Hilda win. “But you have so many other prettier dresses. Come on.”

  Annabelle stomped her foot, her lips in a pout. “Grammy gave me that dress. I want to wear it. I picked it out this morning.”

  Kate was suddenly filled with shame. “Oh, honey, Mommy’s sorry. Of course you can wear it. It’s a beautiful dress.”

  Annabelle was still pouting, but Kate managed to get her dressed and downstairs without any more fuss.

  When they entered the family room, Simon was finishing up the decorations. He’d transformed the family room—banners and streamers, enormous stuffed animals with colorful balloons attached to them. Kate hadn’t given decorations any thought. When had he had time to buy all this? Had Sabrina helped him pick it all out?

  “Daddy! I love my party room.”

  Simon scooped Annabelle up, twirling her around. “Anything for my princess—my soon-to-be-five princess!”

  He put Annabelle down, and she ran over to sit on the stuffed pony in the corner of the room. Simon looked at Kate.

  “You look very nice.”

  She smoothed her hair from her face and gazed at him. “Thank you,” she said coldly.

  Kate glanced at her watch. Four thirty. She’d hoped Blaire would have been back by now. She was about to text her when Blaire came into the room holding a huge wrapped box.

  “I was just going to text you,” Kate said by way of greeting.

  “Sorry!” Blaire said, out of breath. “Took longer than I thought at the salon.” She held her hand up to show Kate her red nails. “Where should I put Annabelle’s gift?”

  She pointed to a table against the wall. “What is it?”

  Blaire shook her head and smiled. “Uh-uh. You have to wait till Annabelle opens it.”

  “Opens what?” Harrison said as he walked up to them. Kate’s smile wavered when Georgina waltzed in right behind him. Had they come together?

  Blaire held the box up to show him.

  He gave Kate a peck on the cheek. “Hello, everyone. Where’s my birthday girl?” he called jovially, looking at Annabelle.

  Annabelle ran up and threw her arms around him. “Granddaddy! I’m gonna be five tonight! Come see the new animals Daddy brought.”

  “Kate, dear.” Georgina kissed the air next to Kate’s cheek. She simply nodded at Blaire.

  “I thought you were coming with Selby,” Kate said.

  “No, not enough room for me in her car. Besides, your father was already at my house, having lunch. He’s turning into skin and bones. I wanted to give him a home-cooked meal.”

  Her father had spent the afternoon at Georgina’s? He had other friends, couples, who’d be more than happy to feed him and keep him company. Why was he spending so much time with her?

  “I don’t remember your caring too much for cooking,” Blaire said. “Or did you mean that your cook made him a home-cooked meal?” She laughed.

  Georgina fixed her with a cold stare. “Harrison’s quite used to staff doing the work. Lily didn’t get her hands dirty in the kitchen either.”

  Blaire let it drop, but she didn’t look at all fazed.

  “Aunt Kate!” Selby’s youngest, Tristan, ran up to her. “Thank you for the Warrior stick! It’s way cool.”

  Tristan was Kate and Simon’s godson and had practically been born with a lacrosse stick in his hand. She was grateful to Simon for remembering to get him a gift for Christmas—at least he was good to the children in their lives. Kate tousled Tristan’s blond mop. “You’re very welcome. Can’t wait to come watch you use it.”

  Selby, right behind Tristan, gave Kate a hug. “You doing okay?”

  Kate nodded.

  “Hello, Selby,” Blaire said.

  “Blaire.” Selby gave a curt nod. “Well, I’m going to go say hi to the birthday girl. Where are you putting the gifts?”

  Kate pointed to a table. “You already gave Annabelle such a generous Christmas gift, the Pikeur riding habit. You’re a doll, but you’ve gone overboard again.”

  Selby smiled. “Well, you can’t blame me for spoiling my girl.” She looked at Blaire. “She’s my goddaughter, after all.”

  Carter had slunk into the room and now stood next to Selby, looking nervous and jittery. He said a quick hello to everyone and then walked over to the bar.

  Annabelle’s friend Morgan arrived, and Kate introduced her parents around. The next few hours went by in a blur of chatter and laughter. Kate watched from the periphery, feeling disconnected, as if she were hovering over the festivities, taking it all in from afar. Georgina and Harrison sat huddled together, and though every now and then Selby or one of the boys would invade the duo’s secret society, they seemed to remain completely indifferent to what was going on around them.

  Her gaze moved to Simon, sitting with Annabelle, the big picture book on horses he’d chosen for her on her lap as they turned the pages together. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, only saw his mouth moving and Annabelle exclaiming, her finger pointing at the images on the page. Was he trying to prove that he was enough for her? That she’d be fine without a mother? A few weeks ago, she’d been worried about breaking up her family by getting a separation. Now she was terrified she would leave Annabelle motherless. She felt like she’d lost her entire family—she couldn’t trust any of them.

  Kate watched them all, her eyes moving from one to the next, imagining what they might be guilty of, what secrets they were keeping. She wanted them out of her house. Blaire was the only person she could talk to anymore.

  Suddenly feeling sweaty, she decided to run upstairs and change. As she left the room, she stopped a moment to speak to the guard, who was standing just outside the room in the hallway. “I’ll be right back. Make sure Annabelle doesn’t leave this room. With anyone.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She walked up the stairs, wincing as she tried to keep the weight off her sprained ankle. Sweat dotted her forehead, and when she reached her room, she sat on the bed to catch her breath. After a moment she rose and went to her closet, looking through her shirts, trying to decide what she wanted to wear. She stood there, befuddled, suddenly overcome with indecision.

  What was the matter with her? Snatching a navy T-shirt and throwing the hanger on the floor, she pulled off her sweater and pulled on the tee. She walked down the hallway to the guest-suite bathroom to put on a dash of lipstick, but as she pushed the door open, a flickering shadow caught her eye. Was someone in here? Her eyes swept the room. It was empty, but three of her pillar candles from downstairs were sitting on the rim of the bathtub. Lit.

  She spun around, her pulse beating so hard she could feel it in her temples. She dropped to the floor and looked under the bed. Jumping up, she ran to the windows and threw the drapes aside, half expecting someone to leap out at her. There was no one in the bedroom. Back in the bathroom, she blew the candles out, then splashed some water on her face. She raced downstairs to find Blaire and pulled her aside.

  “What’s the matter?” Blaire asked. “You look freaked out.”

  “I found candles lit in my bathroom. I don’t remember lighting them,” Kate whispered, looking around furtively. “I only do that when I take a bath, and I didn’t take one today.”

  A sympathetic look crossed Blaire’s face, and she cleared her throat. “Honey, remember you said you were going to take a bath before the party. Are you sure you didn’t light them and forget to blow them out?”

  Kate shook her head wildly. “I didn’t end up taking a bath. I fell asleep, and then I watched a movie with Annabelle.” She remembered calling Blaire this afternoon . . . but had she taken the candles upstairs? The doctor in her knew that it was possible that her mind was playing tricks on her—she was tired enough and distracted enough—but still, Blaire had to be mis
taken.

  “Excuse me, Dr. English. Where should I set these?” Fleur was holding a large tray of sandwiches.

  “Why don’t I show her? Go sit for a minute, Kate,” Blaire said.

  Kate looked around the room, and her eyes came to rest on Simon. He was talking to Selby. They were probably discussing her. He was probably telling Selby how crazy she was, about all the nutty things she was doing. When Simon looked her way and saw that she was staring, he quickly turned back to Selby.

  Selby started laughing. Was she laughing at Kate?

  Carter had cornered Blaire now. He was standing close to her, invading her personal space, and Blaire kept backing up. What a jerk, flirting right in front of his wife and clearly making Blaire uncomfortable.

  Kate strode over. “Excuse me, but I need Blaire for a moment.”

  “Everything all right?” Blaire asked as they walked away.

  “Just rescuing you, that’s all.”

  Blaire smiled at her. “Thank you. He had one of the tuna sandwiches, and his breath was horrible.”

  For some reason, Kate found that hilarious, and she started giggling. They were both laughing now, but soon loud guffaws were coming from Kate and she was holding her side, unable to stop. The room went quiet, everyone turning to look at her. It made her laugh even harder, until tears were running down her cheeks.

  Simon walked over and pulled her to the side. “What’s so funny?”

  She pushed him away. “Why don’t you go back to talking to Selby? You were doing quite a bit of laughing yourself.”

  He looked at her like she was crazy. “What’s wrong with you? We were just talking.”

  “You always have an excuse, don’t you?” She walked away.

  She walked around in a daze a while longer, anxious for the evening to end. The original plan had been to wait until eight to sing “Happy Birthday” and cut the cake, but Kate needed the party to be over before she completely fell apart.

  At seven thirty she decided to hurry things along. She looked around the room for Simon so that he could help with the presents, but he was nowhere to be seen. Naturally he would be somewhere else when Kate needed him. She loaded as many of the gifts as she could carry into her arms and took them to the dining room, setting them down on the table, and then went to the kitchen to find Fleur. As the two of them gathered the cake and dishes, the door from the garage opened, and Simon walked in.