The Perfect Child(96)

Piper nodded and furtively looked around the kitchen like someone might be spying on us. “Or the lawyers. I’m not sure. But they’re going to come for you, Christopher.” She sounded like a paranoid junkie who’d been up all night smoking crack.

“Me? What did I do? I don’t understand.”

“Greg’s attorney filed a motion to charge you with reckless manslaughter for Allison’s death.”

Her words fell like lead on the table.

“What? You can’t be serious.”

“I am. And apparently, the judge agrees with him. At least enough to issue a warrant. One of my colleagues on the police force gave me the heads-up. I came as soon as I found out.”

“How am I responsible for Allison’s death? I wasn’t even there.”

“His lawyers reviewed the footage from the nanny cam. They’re claiming Janie intended to kill Allison when she pushed her down the stairs and that you should’ve known she might do something like that given her history of violence.”

“What?” I shrieked. “There’s no way they can claim any of those things based on that video.”

I’d seen the same footage they had. I’d probably been over it as many times. Piper too. There was no disputing that there had been a struggle at the top of the stairs and that Janie had pushed Allison down them, but it was impossible to know anything else besides that. You could speculate all you wanted, but there was no sound, and you couldn’t see anything above the shins.

“Just because she pushed Allison doesn’t mean she was trying to kill her. That’s absurd.” I shook my head, opposed to the very idea of it. “Janie didn’t try to kill her. Not on purpose. She’d never do that.”

I didn’t doubt Janie had been angry when she’d found out Allison wanted her to leave and had pushed her down the stairs, but she’d done it because she’d been angry and frustrated, not with any murderous intent. I could guarantee she hadn’t given a thought to the consequences. It was common in children who’d experienced trauma. They had very little impulse control. I’d read all about it in one of Dr. Chandler’s books.

Piper shrugged. “It might be absurd, but it’s happening.”

“Janie went to get help. Why would she go for help if she wanted her to die? How come I’m the only one who sees that?” I threw my hands up in the air.

“I understand what you’re saying, but she waited a long time before she did.” Piper’s breathing had finally slowed. She slid into a dining room chair next to Hannah.

“Seven minutes isn’t that long for a traumatized child to freeze. She doesn’t even have any concept of time anyway.” I was running out of steam. No one would ever see Janie through my eyes. “Am I going to jail?”

“Whether it was intentional or unintentional doesn’t really matter. You’re focusing on the wrong thing.” Piper downed the rest of her water before speaking. “His lawyers claim it was your duty to warn them about Janie’s problems. He says if you’d told them the things Janie did, like killing the cat or biting Hannah, then they never would’ve taken her into their home, and Allison would still be here. Greg is determined to make someone pay for Allison’s death, and he’s putting the responsibility on you. His lawyer hired a hotshot private investigator from out East to dig up as much dirt as possible.”

“Do you know anything about the private investigator?” I asked. “What could they possibly be looking for? There’s nothing hidden. Nothing.” I laid open my palms. “We’ve been up front about everything. Always have.”

Piper stopped me before I spiraled further. “It’s not that uncommon to hire a private investigator. Lawyers do it all the time. It’s easier for them if someone else does their dirty work. I don’t know anything about the guy he hired other than that his name is Ron and he used to be a homicide detective.”

Hannah looked stricken. “He can’t do this to Christopher. He just can’t.”

“Unfortunately, he can. And Greg’s serious about the lawsuit.”

“What about Hannah?” I didn’t mean to sound so angry.

“I guess they figure she’s not responsible for any of it given her mental state. You need to get ahead of this. Do you have a lawyer?”

Of course I didn’t have a lawyer. I’d never even had a speeding ticket. I shook my head.

“Then you need to get one, and now. I’ll send you a few referrals—people that I trust who’ve helped out parents in sticky situations.”

“You’ve had this happen before?”

“Not this. I’ve never even heard of something like this before. I’ve seen parents get charged with violating parental-responsibility laws, but never on a manslaughter case.” She scanned the kitchen. “We’re not going to answer the phone or the door until we get you a lawyer. Where’s your computer?”

“My laptop is on the coffee table,” I said, already walking into the living room to get it.

I brewed a fresh pot of coffee. The three of us pored over lawyers, trying to find someone from Piper’s list who specialized in parental-responsibility laws. I kept sneaking glances at Hannah while she worked. It was the first time she’d looked like her old self in a long time. She still nibbled on her lower lip while she read. I smiled despite the awfulness of the situation.