Chapter 6 - THE OTHER CHILDREN
The police brought in a child interviewer that evening.
Her name was Karen.
She wore jeans, soft sneakers, and spoke to Lily like she was simply another grown-up who liked crayons.
I watched through glass.
Every word hurt.
Karen placed toy figures on the table.
“You said Daniel took you somewhere.”
Lily nodded.
“Was it a house?”
“Yes.”
“What color?”
“Brown.”
“Was it close?”
“I got sleepy in the car.”
“Who was there?”
“Kids.”
“How many?”
Lily thought.
“Four.”
My stomach turned.
“What did you do there?”
“We watched TV.”
“Did anyone hurt you?”
Lily shook her head.
“No.”
I released a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
Then she added,
“But one boy cried a lot.”
Karen didn’t react.
“Why?”
“Daniel yelled at him.”
“Did Daniel yell at you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I kept asking for Daddy.”
I covered my face.
Officer Ramirez stood beside me.
He didn’t say anything.
Lily continued.
“Mommy said Daniel was helping her.”
“Helping with what?”
“With me.”
Karen waited.
Lily picked at a sticker.
“She said I made Mommy tired.”
I wanted to break something.
Instead, I stood completely still.
An hour later, police identified a brown rental house from details Lily remembered: a red mailbox, a broken swing set, a water tower visible through a bedroom window.
Detectives found three possible addresses.
Teams were sent to all three.
At 10:42 p.m., Ramirez’s radio came alive.
One of the houses matched.
I could hear voices.
Then his face hardened.
“What?”
He walked away.
“Ramirez.”
He turned back.
“The house is empty.”
“What about the kids?”
“No kids.”
“Then what?”
“They found mattresses. Children’s clothing. Food.”
My throat tightened.
“And?”
“Cameras.”
I felt sick.
“What kind of cameras?”
“We don’t know yet.”
He paused.
“They also found photographs.”
“Of Lily?”
He didn’t answer fast enough.
“Is my daughter in those pictures?”
“Yes.”
The room tilted.
I gripped the back of a chair.
“Doing what?”
“Nothing sexual.”
I breathed.
“Nothing like that.”
“Then what?”
“Photos of her at the playground. School. Grocery store.”
I stared at him.
“They were watching her?”
“It appears so.”
“Why?”
“That’s what we need to find out.”
Then another detective entered.
He handed Ramirez a plastic evidence bag.
Inside was a cheap prepaid phone.
“Found in the house.”
Ramirez looked at the screen.
The phone was still powered on.
There was one unsent text message.
He read it.
Then looked at me.
“What?”
He handed me the evidence bag.
The message said:
HE CAME HOME EARLY. MOVE EVERYTHING TONIGHT.
Below it was a contact name.
Not Vanessa.
Not Daniel.
A third person.
May you like
Someone saved simply as:
M.
