Thomas seemed to realize how the word had sounded the moment it left his mouth.<\/p>\n
He forced a laugh and rubbed one hand across the back of his neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, don\u2019t bother with that door. It\u2019s just storage. Furnace equipment, old furniture, boxes. Nothing you need to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary did not answer.<\/p>\n
The basement lock bothered her. The polished metal looked almost untouched, completely unlike the worn knob and chipped frame around it.<\/p>\n
Daniel noticed it too.<\/p>\n
More importantly, he noticed Thomas watching them notice it.<\/p>\n
Mary crouched near the stuffed rabbit.<\/p>\n
Its fur had once been white. Dust had turned it gray around the ears and paws, but one side looked cleaner, as if somebody had handled it recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily,\u201d Mary said, \u201cyou said this isn\u2019t yours?\u201d<\/p>\n
The child shook her head.<\/p>\n
Thomas answered for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably something she found at school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at him.<\/p>\n
Mary saw the fear return instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas,\u201d Daniel said, \u201cI\u2019d like you to let her answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
A muscle moved in Thomas\u2019s jaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd right now we\u2019re checking on her welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already explained the bruises.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou explained them,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cEmily hasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became quiet.<\/p>\n
Emily slowly descended another stair.<\/p>\n
Mary remained crouched so she would not tower over her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you come sit with me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at her father.<\/p>\n
Thomas gave a small nod.<\/p>\n
The gesture should have seemed reassuring.<\/p>\n
Instead Mary noticed that Emily waited for it before moving.<\/p>\n
She came down and sat on the edge of an armchair, keeping the stuffed rabbit in sight.<\/p>\n
Mary asked about school first.<\/p>\n
Emily answered in short sentences.<\/p>\n
Third grade.<\/p>\n
She liked drawing.<\/p>\n
Her favorite subject was science.<\/p>\n
She disliked gym because everyone shouted.<\/p>\n
Thomas relaxed slightly as the questions became ordinary.<\/p>\n
Then Mary asked, \u201cWho lives here with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s fingers twisted together.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Thomas interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary continued looking at Emily.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about your mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stared at the carpet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
Again, he had answered.<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped closer to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSir, would you mind giving Officer Davis some space while she speaks with Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s tone stayed even.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can talk over here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at Emily.<\/p>\n
She immediately lowered her head.<\/p>\n
That single reaction told Mary more than another dozen questions might have.<\/p>\n
Daniel guided Thomas toward the opposite side of the living room without touching him.<\/p>\n
Mary waited until they were several yards away.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily?\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you call 911 tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face drained of color.<\/p>\n
Across the room Thomas turned sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped in front of him.<\/p>\n
Mary immediately regretted asking the question within his hearing, but Emily surprised her.<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
Thomas stared at his daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou called the police?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily shrank into the chair.<\/p>\n
Mary moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it isn\u2019t,\u201d Thomas snapped. \u201cShe stole a phone and made up some ridiculous story?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel raised one hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cLower your voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas laughed once.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou come into my home in the middle of the night because an eight-year-old had a nightmare, and I\u2019m supposed to be calm?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary watched Emily.<\/p>\n
The child was staring at Thomas\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n
Not his face.<\/p>\n
His hands.<\/p>\n
Mary lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily, why did you call?\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl\u2019s fingers moved toward her bruised arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat hurt you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily whispered something Mary could not hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe snake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas suddenly spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has nightmares about snakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary looked toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily shook her head.<\/p>\n
Barely.<\/p>\n
But Mary saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo there isn\u2019t a real snake?\u201d Mary asked.<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
Thomas stepped toward them.<\/p>\n
Daniel blocked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s enough questioning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no right to interrogate my child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not interrogating her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re frightening her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily made a small sound.<\/p>\n
Mary turned back.<\/p>\n
The girl was looking toward the basement door again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s downstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary asked.<\/p>\n
Thomas answered from across the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cStorage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s breathing changed.<\/p>\n
Mary noticed the stuffed rabbit again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose toy is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stared at it.<\/p>\n
Thomas said, \u201cI told you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel cut him off.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet her answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
For several seconds Emily said nothing.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered, \u201cSophie\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Sophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s eyes stayed on the rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Sophie go to your school?\u201d<\/p>\n
A tiny shake of the head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she live nearby?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another shake.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you meet her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at the basement.<\/p>\n
Thomas moved so abruptly Daniel had to put out an arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is absurd.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily flinched.<\/p>\n
Mary reached gently toward her but stopped before touching.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl looked unconvinced.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you meet Sophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily whispered, \u201cHere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary felt the hair rise along her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Sophie live here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily nodded.<\/p>\n
Thomas laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s imaginary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s head snapped up.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was louder than anything she had said all night.<\/p>\n
Thomas stared at her.<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s courage disappeared almost immediately.<\/p>\n
She pulled her knees against herself.<\/p>\n
Mary softened her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did Sophie live here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Mommy went away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel and Mary exchanged a glance.<\/p>\n
Thomas saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re turning a child\u2019s fantasy into something criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s your wife\u2019s name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Rebecca now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said she left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she take belongings?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had someone pick her up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you report her missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would I? She abandoned her family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily suddenly spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy didn\u2019t leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said only her name.<\/p>\n
The child recoiled as if struck.<\/p>\n
Mary rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas, I need you to stop addressing her.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
The friendly suburban father vanished for an instant.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t come into my house and tell me how to speak to my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s hand moved nearer his radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas did not.<\/p>\n
Emily covered her ears.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary knelt beside her again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gets bad when people don\u2019t listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s expression tightened.<\/p>\n
Daniel radioed for a supervisor and additional unit.<\/p>\n
Thomas heard him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re calling backup?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor everybody\u2019s safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas gave a disbelieving laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou people have lost your minds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily began rocking slightly.<\/p>\n
Mary changed direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily, is there anyone downstairs now?\u201d<\/p>\n
The rocking stopped.<\/p>\n
Thomas stared at her.<\/p>\n
Emily whispered, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHas somebody been downstairs before?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas threw his hands up.<\/p>\n
\u201cImaginary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was real.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary kept her voice low.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you last see her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily pressed both palms against her eyes.<\/p>\n
Thomas started forward.<\/p>\n
Daniel blocked him again.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary waited.<\/p>\n
Finally Emily lowered her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe stopped coming upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words settled over the room.<\/p>\n
Mary looked at the basement door.<\/p>\n
The new lock.<\/p>\n
The dusty rabbit.<\/p>\n
The child with bruises.<\/p>\n
The missing mother.<\/p>\n
The friend Thomas insisted had never existed.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily,\u201d Mary said, \u201cdid your mother ever go downstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl nodded.<\/p>\n
Thomas shouted, \u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel ordered him back.<\/p>\n
Emily began shaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy said she sleeps there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Mary felt her pulse beating against her throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean, she sleeps there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily pointed toward the locked door.<\/p>\n
\u201cDownstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas stepped backward.<\/p>\n
It was a small movement, almost nothing.<\/p>\n
Daniel noticed anyway.<\/p>\n
Thomas was no longer arguing.<\/p>\n
He was calculating.<\/p>\n
Outside, tires rolled onto the street.<\/p>\n
Backup.<\/p>\n
Sergeant Linda Brooks entered moments later with two additional officers. Daniel met her near the doorway and quietly explained what they had.<\/p>\n
An injured child.<\/p>\n
A strange emergency call.<\/p>\n
A missing mother.<\/p>\n
Another child named Sophie.<\/p>\n
A basement with an unusually heavy lock.<\/p>\n
Brooks listened without interrupting.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to secure the residence while Child Protective Services responds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need a warrant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a general search, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas smiled as though he had won.<\/p>\n
Brooks continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we can protect a child and preserve a scene while we determine whether immediate danger exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
Emily suddenly tugged Mary\u2019s sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat man?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily pointed toward the basement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man Daddy brings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas went pale.<\/p>\n
Daniel saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat man?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe goes downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow often?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Daddy says I have to stay in my room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas took another step backward.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
Daniel realized where he was going.<\/p>\n
Not toward the front door.<\/p>\n
Toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
Toward the basement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s breathing quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kitchen is the other direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time that night, Thomas had no immediate answer.<\/p>\n
Daniel moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHands where I can see them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked past him.<\/p>\n
At the basement door.<\/p>\n
Then he ran.<\/p>\n
Thomas seemed to realize how the word had sounded the moment it left his mouth. He forced a laugh and rubbed one hand across the back of his neck. \u201cI … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10941"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10961,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10941\/revisions\/10961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}