I followed her through the dark living room. My boots clicked on the bare hardwood floor. The furniture looked exactly as it had when I left three weeks ago, except for a thick layer of dust on the coffee table.
“She was supposed to stay with you,” I said. “She and Chloe promised they would live here while I was in Germany.”
Maya lay down on the edge of the bed, pulling a heavy wool quilt up to her chin. Her shoulders shook under the layers.
“They left on Tuesday,” Maya said.
“Why?” I asked. “Did Eleanor have an emergency?”
“She said she had plans,” Maya whispered.
I rubbed my gold wedding ring, rotating the metal around my finger. I had wired fourteen thousand dollars to our shared account before I boarded the flight to Munich. It was meant to cover a private night nurse, grocery deliveries, and the extra heating costs for the winter.
