“Are you sure?” I asked.

“She said you gave her a surprise.”

“I’ve raised children of my own, dear,” Patricia said.

“I don’t need a lesson in safety from someone whose daughter is having metal surgically removed from her stomach as we speak.”

She took a sip of her water.

Her eyes never left my face, cold and completely steady under the fluorescent glare.

“Lily told me you gave her special pearls,” I said.

Patricia laughed, a sharp, dismissive sound that echoed in the empty space.