Chapter 1 - The Small Hand
A small hand reached from beneath the wedding-cake tablecloth and gripped Maya’s ankle.
She stopped instantly.
The five-tier cake remained perfectly upright as Maya locked every wheel on the service cart. Then she knelt and lifted the long white cloth.
Six-year-old Lily was curled on the broad lower shelf, clutching her flower bouquet and trying not to cry loudly enough for the ballroom guests to hear.
“Lily?”
Maya offered both hands.
The child reached for her immediately.
Margaret hurried from the service-corridor entrance.
“She must have crawled in there.”
Maya lifted Lily carefully, supporting her back and legs.
“Why would she hide under a moving cake?”
Margaret’s expression hardened.
“She has been demanding attention all afternoon.”
Lily opened one trembling hand.
A distinctive gold hotel keycard rested in her palm.
Maya recognized the personalized crest.
It belonged to Margaret.
The child looked toward her through tears.
“She told me to stay quiet until the pictures were over.”
Margaret’s confidence vanished.
Footsteps sounded from the ballroom aisle.
Daniel arrived in his tuxedo and heard the final sentence.
He looked from Lily to the cake cart positioned toward the staff corridor.
Then at Margaret’s keycard.
Claire stood near the altar, frozen in her wedding gown.
Daniel gently accepted the card from Lily and placed it on the empty decorative platform atop the cake.
“Tell everyone why the missing child was under your cake.”
Margaret glanced toward the gathering guests.
“She was not missing.”
Lily gripped Maya’s collar.
“No one knew where I was.”
The distinction silenced the corridor.
May you like
Then Lily whispered:
“She said after the wedding, I wouldn’t live with Uncle Daniel anymore.”
