Chapter 6 - THE PAPER
The police obtained Taylor’s purse before she could leave the hospital.
Inside was an envelope.
Inside the envelope was a draft petition seeking to reduce my parenting time.
The document claimed Lily became anxious after visits with me.
It claimed I was emotionally volatile.
It claimed I had repeatedly failed to follow medical instructions.
None of it was true.
But that wasn’t what frightened me most.
Attached to the petition was a handwritten note.
Three sentences.
Get him out before Lily starts talking.
Once the court limits contact, everything gets easier.
E.
Taylor saw the note and covered her mouth.
“I didn’t know she put that in there.”
“You were carrying the petition.”
“I wasn’t going to file it.”
“Then why was it in your purse?”
“Because Mom kept pushing me.”
I felt exhausted beyond anger.
“You always have a reason.”
Taylor flinched.
“I know.”
For the first time, she didn’t argue.
Aaron asked the officer if they had reviewed his cloud footage.
The answer was yes.
There were more than sixty saved clips.
Most showed nothing unusual.
Cars entering.
Boxes being moved.
Lily riding her scooter.
Then there were seven clips investigators had flagged.
In one, Evelyn grabbed Lily by the arm and marched her toward the freezer.
In another, Evelyn stood over Lily while she sat on the garage floor crying.
A third showed Taylor entering while Lily was already inside the freezer.
Taylor opened the lid within seconds.
She lifted Lily out.
She screamed at Evelyn.
Then something happened that made me feel worse.
Taylor hugged Lily.
She comforted her.
She clearly knew it was wrong.
And the next day, she allowed Evelyn back into the house.
I looked at Taylor.
“You saw it.”
She nodded.
“You held her afterward.”
Another nod.
“And you still left Lily alone with Evelyn.”
Taylor’s answer came through tears.
“I was afraid of losing my mother.”
I stared at her for a long time.
“You were so afraid of losing your mother that you risked losing your daughter.”
Taylor closed her eyes.
The officer returned.
“Evelyn Carter is being taken into custody.”
Taylor’s knees almost gave out.
I expected relief.
Instead, she whispered, “She’s going to destroy me.”
Aaron heard her.
He stepped closer.
“No, Taylor.”
“She already did.”
Then his phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen and went silent.
“What?”
I asked.
Aaron turned the phone toward me.
The basement camera had uploaded a final clip just before police disconnected the house network.
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It showed Evelyn kneeling beside a floor vent.
And hiding something inside it.
