Kate felt a chill go through her. It was a green Christmas sweater with the words “Mice Scream for Ice Cream” stitched below a little mouse in between two red-velvet ice cream bars. The red in the bars reminded Kate of blood, and the mice immediately brought to mind the ones in her bathroom.

“Take it off her!” Kate insisted.

Annabelle started to cry.

“Kate, take it easy.” Harrison picked Annabelle up and hugged her. “Sweetheart, Mommy needs to see your sweater.”

“I don’t wanna take it off! I like it!”

“I’ll be right back,” Kate said, and she ran to Simon’s office and burst in. He was typing on his laptop.

“Did you buy Annabelle a Christmas sweater with a mouse on it?”

He looked up. “What? No.”

She was keyed up, out of breath. “It was in her drawer. Hilda put it on her this morning. Come see.”

He followed her back to the kitchen, but Annabelle and Hilda were gone.

“Where’s Annabelle?” Kate demanded.

Her father walked over and put his hands on her arms. “Hilda took her upstairs to get her changed, like you told her to.” He walked over to the island and picked up the sweater. “Here.”

She grabbed it from him and shoved it at Simon. “Look. Don’t those ice cream bars look like blood? And the mice . . . ? This was in her room! That maniac was in our daughter’s room!”

Simon looked at the sweater and then back at Kate. “Kate, your mother gave this to her. She brought it over right after Thanksgiving, and you said something about her starting Christmas early this year, remember?”

Kate was seized by fresh grief. Images of her mother that day, her arms full of packages, saying “Wait till you see the darling things I picked up for Annabelle,” flashed through her head.

Kate had told her Christmas was only a few weeks away, and suggested Lily wait to give the packages to Annabelle then.

Lily had thrown her hands up. “These are clothes for Christmas. And besides, no child wants clothes on Christmas morning. Look at this dress!” She’d held out a red-and-green-plaid dress. “Won’t she look precious?”

She’d bought so many things, Kate must have missed the sweater. She’d have to apologize to Hilda for her outburst. Taking a deep breath, she looked at her husband and father. She was hot with shame at having reacted that way.

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a bundle of nerves. You must think I’m nuts.”

Simon gave her a sympathetic smile. “Of course not. We’re all on edge. It’s okay.”

His kindness endeared him to her for a minute, but she still couldn’t let her guard down.

“If you’re okay, I think I’ll head back to my office, all right?”