Chapter 22

"Happy Birthday, Beatrice." Claire's voice came through the phone, soft and cool, somehow dissolving the anger Nelson had been holding in all day. He glanced toward the kitchen where his mother was still busy, then spoke in a calm tone, "Surprised you even remembered it's her birthday. Not coming by?" Silence. All sound suddenly disappeared from the line. Nelson frowned and checked the screen—it still showed they were connected. "Claire?" He tried again, about to smooth things over with another line, when all he heard was the beeping of a disconnected call. The call lasted just 29 seconds. Nelson stared at the screen as it went dark, brows tightly furrowed like something was pressing down on his chest. "Was that from Claire? Why didn't she say anything?" Beatrice came out of the kitchen with the last two dishes in hand. Without a word, Nelson tossed his phone aside and reached out to help her set the table. His face looked like someone owed him big time. Beatrice glanced at him, wiped