Chapter 5 - WHAT WAS IN THE WATER
The test results came back the next morning.
Officer Harris didn't tell us over the phone.
He came to the hospital himself.
That told me enough.
Daniel was standing beside Noah's incubator when Harris called.
I was still in bed, too weak to walk far without help.
Daniel returned ten minutes later.
He looked like someone had punched him.
"What?"
He sat down.
"Your water bottle contained a medication."
"What medication?"
"Misoprostol."
I stared at him.
The word meant nothing to me.
"What does that do?"
Daniel couldn't say it.
Officer Harris did.
"It can cause uterine contractions."
For several seconds, I just looked at him.
Then my stomach turned.
"She was trying to make me go into labor?"
"We can't state intent yet."
"She poured it into my water."
"Yes."
"And then she kicked me."
"Yes."
"How much was in there?"
"We're still determining that."
Daniel stood so fast the chair hit the wall.
"She tried to hurt our baby before she ever touched Emily."
Harris raised a hand.
"I understand you're angry."
"You don't understand anything."
"Daniel."
I reached toward him.
He turned away and pressed both hands against his face.
Officer Harris continued carefully.
"There's another issue."
Of course there was.
"What?"
"We searched the kitchen after obtaining consent from your father-in-law."
Daniel turned.
"My father gave consent?"
"Yes."
"What did you find?"
Harris placed a photograph on the table.
A notebook.
Margaret's handwriting covered the pages.
I recognized it immediately from years of birthday cards.
"What is that?"
"A planner."
Daniel picked up the photograph.
Several dates were circled.
My prenatal appointments.
My due date.
The date we planned to move.
Beside some dates were notes.
Daniel read one aloud.
"'Too late after thirty-four.'"
My skin went cold.
"What does that mean?"
Officer Harris shook his head.
"We don't know yet."
Daniel flipped to another photograph.
My baby shower date was circled.
Next to it Margaret had written:
Daniel must see she's unstable before the baby comes.
I stopped breathing.
"This wasn't one bad night."
Officer Harris nodded.
"That's what we're concerned about."
Then he showed us the final picture.
A name had been written several times across the last page.
Dr. Stephen Holloway.
Daniel stared at it.
"That's my mother's doctor."
"No," I said quietly.
Both men looked at me.
I knew that name.
"I've heard it before."
"Where?" Harris asked.
I swallowed.
"Margaret told me he was the doctor who delivered Daniel."
Daniel frowned.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"My delivery doctor was a woman."
Officer Harris looked between us.
May you like
And the investigation suddenly shifted again.
Because Margaret had been lying about Dr. Holloway for decades.
