Thomas reached the hallway before Daniel caught him.<\/p>\n
Daniel grabbed the back of his shirt and drove his shoulder into Thomas\u2019s side, turning him away from the basement. Both men crashed against a narrow console table beneath the family photographs.<\/p>\n
The table collapsed.<\/p>\n
A framed picture hit the hardwood and shattered.<\/p>\n
Thomas fought with astonishing desperation.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet off me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Officer Jenkins rushed forward.<\/p>\n
Together he and Daniel forced Thomas facedown.<\/p>\n
Thomas kicked against the floor, trying to drag himself toward the basement.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t go down there!\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel secured one wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop resisting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second cuff clicked shut.<\/p>\n
Thomas stopped fighting.<\/p>\n
For several seconds he lay motionless, cheek pressed against the floor.<\/p>\n
Then he turned his head.<\/p>\n
His eyes remained fixed on the basement.<\/p>\n
Mary noticed something chilling.<\/p>\n
He did not look like a man worried that police might damage property.<\/p>\n
He looked like a man terrified they were seconds from discovering something he could never explain.<\/p>\n
Emily began sobbing.<\/p>\n
Mary moved her away from the broken glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay. Don\u2019t look.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily grabbed her sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t wake him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary crouched.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat man?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sergeant Brooks stepped toward the basement door.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs someone living downstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily nodded uncertainly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas shouted from the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t know what she\u2019s talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe makes things up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily buried her face against Mary.<\/p>\n
Daniel and Jenkins lifted Thomas and seated him against the living-room wall under guard.<\/p>\n
Brooks radioed detectives and Child Protective Services while another officer began documenting the visible injuries on Emily.<\/p>\n
Mary remained with the girl.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you tell me about the man?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily whispered, \u201cDaddy says I\u2019m never supposed to see him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI came out because I needed water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he look like?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was dark.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he see you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy got mad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her hand moved instinctively toward the bruises.<\/p>\n
Mary understood.<\/p>\n
Across the room Daniel examined the broken family photographs.<\/p>\n
One showed Thomas and Emily at a school fair.<\/p>\n
Another showed them beside a Christmas tree.<\/p>\n
A third showed Thomas alone beside a lake.<\/p>\n
Then Daniel found an older wedding photograph.<\/p>\n
Thomas stood beside a dark-haired woman.<\/p>\n
Rebecca.<\/p>\n
Someone had scratched repeatedly across her face.<\/p>\n
Daniel carried it to Brooks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks studied the damaged image.<\/p>\n
\u201cBag it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a family photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you can explain the damage later.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
Mary returned to the stuffed rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily, was this Sophie\u2019s favorite?\u201d<\/p>\n
The child nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called him Mr. Buttons.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long ago did Sophie live here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was little.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas your mother here then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid your mother know Sophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey talked when Daddy wasn\u2019t home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary felt a new line of suspicion forming.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they talk about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. Mommy made me go play.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Sophie have parents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe cried for her mommy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Sophie sleep upstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily pointed toward the basement.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe slept there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Brooks saw him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Sophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily says otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe invented her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary held up the rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who owned this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at it.<\/p>\n
For the first time, his composure cracked completely.<\/p>\n
Only for an instant.<\/p>\n
But everyone saw.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily whispered, \u201cHe does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas stared at her.<\/p>\n
Mary immediately stepped between them.<\/p>\n
Daniel moved Thomas farther away.<\/p>\n
Brooks requested a detective and began discussing a warrant with the responding supervisor.<\/p>\n
Then Jenkins called from the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cSergeant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked toward him.<\/p>\n
He was crouched near the basement threshold.<\/p>\n
Something dark had appeared beneath the door.<\/p>\n
A narrow wet line.<\/p>\n
Brooks approached.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jenkins shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t look like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary pulled on gloves and touched the liquid carefully.<\/p>\n
When she lifted her finger, the substance looked dark red beneath the hallway light.<\/p>\n
Thomas suddenly stood.<\/p>\n
The officer guarding him pushed him back down.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t open it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs someone injured downstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Brooks\u2019s decision was immediate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re entering.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas began shouting.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need a warrant!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s a person bleeding behind that door, we don\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel tested the lock.<\/p>\n
Solid.<\/p>\n
Jenkins retrieved a breaching tool.<\/p>\n
Emily began trembling as soon as she saw it.<\/p>\n
Mary took her into the living room.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first strike echoed through the house.<\/p>\n
Emily covered her ears.<\/p>\n
The second damaged the frame.<\/p>\n
Thomas cursed.<\/p>\n
The third splintered wood around the deadbolt.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop!\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel struck again.<\/p>\n
The lock shifted.<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s voice became almost pleading.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re making a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another strike.<\/p>\n
The door burst inward.<\/p>\n
Nobody moved for a moment.<\/p>\n
Cold air rose from the stairwell carrying dampness, dust, and a faint metallic odor.<\/p>\n
Daniel switched on his flashlight.<\/p>\n
Brooks followed.<\/p>\n
Mary remained near the top with Emily until Officer Kelly arrived to stay with the child.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going down for a minute,\u201d Mary said.<\/p>\n
Emily seized her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnow what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stared into the darkness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are things written on the walls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary descended.<\/p>\n
The staircase was narrow and unfinished.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s flashlight moved across concrete.<\/p>\n
Halfway down he stopped.<\/p>\n
Scratches covered the wall.<\/p>\n
Some were long and random.<\/p>\n
Others formed crude shapes.<\/p>\n
Several were positioned only two or three feet above the floor.<\/p>\n
Marks made by children.<\/p>\n
Brooks illuminated another section.<\/p>\n
Blue crayon.<\/p>\n
Words.<\/p>\n
The handwriting was uneven.<\/p>\n
A plea for help.<\/p>\n
Another message asked for a mother.<\/p>\n
Mary stared.<\/p>\n
There were handprints too.<\/p>\n
Small palms pressed against the concrete in faded pigment.<\/p>\n
Some appeared years old.<\/p>\n
Others looked newer.<\/p>\n
Daniel descended farther.<\/p>\n
Shelves filled with paint cans and household junk occupied one side of the basement.<\/p>\n
At first glance it might have passed for ordinary storage.<\/p>\n
Then his flashlight found a pink bicycle.<\/p>\n
Dust coated the seat.<\/p>\n
Beside it lay three children\u2019s shoes.<\/p>\n
Not three pairs.<\/p>\n
Three individual shoes.<\/p>\n
Different sizes.<\/p>\n
Mary crouched beside them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese aren\u2019t Emily\u2019s size.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
Brooks photographed everything before they moved farther.<\/p>\n
At the rear of the basement stood another door.<\/p>\n
This one was worse.<\/p>\n
Steel reinforcement covered the frame.<\/p>\n
Deep scratches surrounded the interior edge.<\/p>\n
Daniel touched the handle.<\/p>\n
Locked.<\/p>\n
Mary looked back toward the staircase.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily said Sophie stayed downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
Daniel swept his light along the floor.<\/p>\n
A small plastic hair clip lay near the door.<\/p>\n
Pink flowers.<\/p>\n
Beside it was a broken crayon.<\/p>\n
Blue.<\/p>\n
Then they heard something.<\/p>\n
A faint sound.<\/p>\n
Daniel lifted one hand.<\/p>\n
Everyone stopped.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Mary wondered whether the old furnace had shifted.<\/p>\n
Then it came again.<\/p>\n
Tap.<\/p>\n
She looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
A second tap followed.<\/p>\n
Then a third.<\/p>\n
The sound came from behind the reinforced door.<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice department. Is someone in there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Upstairs Thomas began shouting again.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n
The officers in the basement looked toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t open it!\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice carried down the staircase.<\/p>\n
Daniel turned back to the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n
For several seconds there was no answer.<\/p>\n
Then a voice emerged from the other side.<\/p>\n
Small.<\/p>\n
Weak.<\/p>\n
Human.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s hand flew to her mouth.<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned toward the steel.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is Daniel. I\u2019m a police officer. What\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cLily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary closed her eyes for half a second.<\/p>\n
Another child.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cLily, can you open the door?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have the key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy legs hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs anybody else in there?\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Brooks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean, you don\u2019t think so?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gets dark.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upstairs Thomas began struggling violently against the officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t open that door!\u201d<\/p>\n
His panic echoed throughout the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll ruin everything!\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks radioed for medical personnel.<\/p>\n
Jenkins hurried upstairs for the heavier ram.<\/p>\n
Mary stayed beside the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cLily, we\u2019re going to make some loud noises. We\u2019re opening the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
The child\u2019s voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill Daddy be mad?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary crouched beside the steel door although Lily could not see her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can\u2019t stop us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Lily asked the question that erased any remaining doubt.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Emily come downstairs now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas reached the hallway before Daniel caught him. Daniel grabbed the back of his shirt and drove his shoulder into Thomas\u2019s side, turning him away from the basement. Both men … <\/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-10942","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\/10942","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=10942"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10962,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10942\/revisions\/10962"}],"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=10942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}