Claire’s head snapped up. “You saw the watch after he did this?” Ava nodded. “The next morning. He was driving me to school. It was in the cup holder with coffee coins.” Daniel had known Ava was innocent. Or worse, the watch had never really been missing at all. The accusation had only been a reason he could use.
Mark drove Claire and Ava to his house that afternoon. His wife, Teresa, had already made up the guest room with fresh sheets and placed Ava’s favorite kind of cereal on the kitchen counter, though nobody had asked her to. Ava walked in slowly, scanning the hallway and corners like a child entering an unfamiliar classroom. Teresa did not rush toward her. She simply said, “I’m glad you’re here, sweetheart,” and pointed to a basket on the couch filled with blankets, coloring books, and a stuffed fox still wearing its store
