Chapter 5 - The Silent Inspection
At midnight, leaving Lily under round-the-clock protective guard in the pediatric wing, I accompanied Detective Hayes and a forensics team back to our home. The drive was conducted in near total silence. Marcus had texted me two hours earlier claiming he was staying late at the engineering firm to finish a prototype sprint; he had no idea Lily was in the hospital, nor that five unmarked squad cars were now idling in the cul-de-sac.
The front door opened with its familiar, comfortable creak. Entering my own home felt surreal, as if the familiar hardwood floors and framed family photos belonged to a stranger's life. Everything looked immaculate. The dinner dishes had been washed and placed in the drying rack; the mail was neatly stacked on the console table.
"Stay behind the entry tape, Claire," Hayes instructed, slipping sterile shoe covers over her boots. "Let the crime scene unit clear the second floor first."
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Two technicians carrying Pelican hard cases moved quietly up the carpeted stairs. I stood in the foyer, shivering despite the ambient heat. For three months, I had walked these halls believing I had built a safe sanctuary for my daughter. Every shared dinner, every movie night, every morning cup of coffee Marcus handed me with a reassuring smile—it all twisted into something grotesque under the flashlight beams dancing on our ceiling.
"Detective," a voice called down from the top landing. "You need to see this."
