Chapter 16 — THE PHONE

The Thursday after, I went to the house to get clothes for Claire and Sophia. Claire was at the hospital. The house was empty.

Sarah's phone was in the drawer of the hall table where the police had put it back after imaging it. Nobody had told her to collect it because nobody had told her anything.

It was not locked. Sarah is not the kind of person who locks a phone.

I should not have opened it. I opened it.

Six days of messages between Sarah and my wife. Fifty-one of them from Sarah, nine from Claire.

Monday, Sarah: *Sophia's coughing. Is she OK? Do you want me to take her in?*

Monday, Claire: *she's fine, kids cough*

Tuesday, Sarah, four messages, escalating, one of them just the photograph of the transplant sheet.

Tuesday, Claire: *Sarah I'm in meetings until 9*

Wednesday, Sarah: *Please. I am asking you as your sister. He can't be in the house with her. Can you call Mark and tell him to take her to urgent care because he won't listen to me*

Wednesday, Claire: *Can you just keep them apart until Saturday*

Thursday, Sarah: *How*

Thursday, Sarah: *How Claire. The house is one floor at the back. Tell me how.*

Thursday, Claire, at eleven forty-one at night:

*I don't know. Put her outside for a bit if you have to. Just get to Saturday.*