“I had to fly to Denver just to secure a contract for our family,” Daniel said.

“I thought Lily would be safe with her mother for two days.”

My phone buzzed in my jacket pocket.

It was a text from my sister Emily, saying she had managed to get a seat on a red-eye flight and would be landing at six in the morning.

I didn’t answer it.

I tried to focus on the memory of the home office floor from Tuesday afternoon.

I remembered vacuuming the rug under his large mahogany desk.