“From her,” Sophie whispered, pointing at her aunt.
A wave of confusion swept through the room.
Everyone turned around. Lisa blinked rapidly, her mouth twitching as if she couldn’t decide whether to frown or smile. Then she let out a small, muffled laugh.
“I have no idea what she’s talking about,” she said. Her tone was firm, but her eyes didn’t meet mine.
A shocked woman with curly hair | Source: Pexels
A shocked woman with curly hair | Source: Pexels
“Sophie,” I said softly. “Tell me what you saw, baby.”
“You won’t get into trouble, darling,” my mother said softly. “Just tell us what happened…”
“I was playing hide-and-seek before dinner, and I hid in the pantry when Anna-Lee was looking for me. I saw Aunt Lisa in the kitchen before Grandma came in. She took a small jar out of her bag and sprinkled some stuff on the cake. She did it really quickly, mixing it into the frosting and putting the berries back in place so it looked the same.”
“What kind of pot?” asked Michael, now standing beside us. “Did you see what was inside?”
An open pantry door | Source: Unsplash
An open pantry door | Source: Unsplash
“It was small,” Sophie said. “Like the ones Mom puts her spices in. Then Uncle Joseph came in. He asked if Aunt Lisa had done what she wanted to do. And Aunt Lisa said…”
“It’s okay, baby,” I leaned down, keeping my eyes locked on hers. “You can say it.”
“She said the cake will be the death of us ,” Sophie whispered, but her words cut through the room.
Joseph moved next to Lisa, his mouth opening as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. His eyes flicked from Lisa to Sophie, then back again, unsure where to begin with the truth.
Spice jars on a shelf | Source: Unsplash
Spice jars on a shelf | Source: Unsplash
Gasps crossed the table, and somewhere, a fork clattered against a plate. I watched my mother reach for her glass of water, but she missed.
My skin prickled and I slowly turned back to Lisa.
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