I stepped into the room, my boots heavy on the linoleum.
Chloe jumped, nearly dropping the baby clothes back into the bag.
“David,” she said, her breath catching. “I was just telling Maya about the baby gifts.”
“You need to leave, Chloe,” I said.
She gathered her shopping bags, her movements frantic as she rose from the chair.
“Just think about what I said, Maya,” Chloe called out as she hurried toward the door.
I followed her out into the corridor, where the air smelled of pine cleaner and floor wax.
“Do not come back here,” I said.
“David, you are being completely unreasonable,” she said, her hand flying to her bare collarbone. “Mark cannot sleep. He is sick over this whole misunderstanding.”
That was when I looked closely at her neck.
The heavy, triple-strand diamond necklace our father had bought her for her college graduation was gone.
“Where is your necklace, Chloe?” I asked.
