Chapter 3 - A Mother’s Story
Rachel recovered quickly.
She wrapped her arms around Lily.
Lily remained stiff.
Tommy was sleeping beside us with an IV line in his tiny arm.
Rachel kissed his forehead again and again.
“What happened to my babies?”
Claire Donovan answered before I could.
“That’s what we’re establishing.”
Rachel looked offended.
“I’m their mother.”
“And I’m the hospital social worker.”
Rachel turned toward me.
“Daniel, what is this?”
I kept my voice level.
“You tell me.”
She stared.
I had spent twelve years surrendering during arguments because Rachel was better at them.
She could cry before I finished a sentence.
Become furious before I formed a question.
Turn every concern into an accusation against her.
Tonight I did something different.
I waited.
Finally she said, “I left at noon.”
“What time did I arrive home?”
“Maybe six?”
“Seven thirty-two.”
She swallowed.
“I lost track of time.”
“Where were you?”
“The pharmacy.”
“Which pharmacy takes seven hours?”
“I had car trouble.”
“Where?”
“I don’t remember the road.”
“You don’t remember where you were stranded?”
Rachel looked toward Claire.
“Do I need an attorney?”
Nobody answered.
Then Rachel changed tactics.
She began sobbing.
“I’m exhausted.”
“I’ve been taking care of two children alone while you fly around the country.”
“You think I’m a bad mother because I made one mistake?”
One mistake.
I looked at Lily’s cracked lips.
Tommy’s IV.
The bruises on my daughter’s knees.
“Why was the storage room locked?”
Rachel’s tears stopped.
It happened so completely that Claire noticed too.
“What?”
“The room at the end of the hallway.”
Rachel’s eyes moved toward Lily.
That glance told me more than any confession.
“Daniel, this isn’t the time.”
“What’s inside?”
“Boxes.”
“Then why did Lily call it the secret room?”
Rachel stood.
“Because she’s five.”
Lily began crying.
“Stop.”
Her voice was so soft that Rachel almost missed it.
“What, honey?”
“Stop saying I’m making it up.”
Rachel froze.
Lily buried her face against my arm.
“You always say that.”
The room went silent.
I looked at my wife.
Rachel’s face changed.
Not guilt.
Calculation.
She picked up her purse.
“I need air.”
Claire stepped toward the door.
“You’ll need to remain available.”
Rachel gave her a cold look.
“I’m not under arrest.”
“No.”
“Then move.”
She left.
Thirty seconds later, I received a notification from our security app.
BACK DOOR OPENED.
My house was twenty-seven minutes from the hospital.
Rachel could not possibly be there.
I opened the camera feed.
The screen was black.
All eight cameras had gone offline.
Then another notification appeared.
SECURITY SYSTEM ADMIN ACCESS.
Someone had entered my house remotely.
Someone who knew the password.
Someone was trying to erase something.
I looked toward Claire.
“Call the police.”
She saw my expression and didn’t question me.
“What happened?”
I held up the phone.
May you like
“Someone is inside my house.”
And I already knew exactly which room they were trying to reach.
