Chapter 7 - The Case Against Me
By 8:15 a.m., two child welfare investigators were sitting in my library.
They had photographs of my daughters.
Thin arms.
Bruised knees.
Dark circles beneath their eyes.
All real.
That was the worst part.
Hilda had built her lie from facts I had failed to see.
"You employ twelve domestic staff members?" Investigator Cole asked.
"Fifteen."
"And still did not notice your children were malnourished?"
"No."
The word tasted like ash.
"Why not?"
Because I trusted reports.
Because I trusted money.
Because I believed grief excused absence.
"Because I failed them," I said.
My attorney looked at me sharply.
I didn't take it back.
We showed the investigators the hidden camera footage.
We showed them Hilda destroying meals.
We showed the lab report.
Then Investigator Cole placed another envelope on the desk.
"Hilda Dawson submitted evidence too."
Inside were videos of me leaving for business trips.
Calendar records showing late returns.
Emails where I told Hilda to "handle whatever the girls need."
None of it proved abuse.
Together, it painted a father who had outsourced parenthood.
Which was close enough to truth to be dangerous.
"She also claims you became unstable after your wife's death," Cole said.
"Based on what?"
"A psychiatric evaluation."
"I never had one."
He slid over a report signed by Dr. Marcus Dawson.
Hilda's brother.
The same man who signed Elena's death certificate.
My signature appeared at the bottom.
Forged.
Calvin entered quietly and handed me his phone.
Security had found Hilda's abandoned car near the Cumberland River.
In the trunk were two packed children's suitcases.
Rosalyn's pink sweater.
Camille's rabbit blanket.
Passports.
Both girls' birth certificates.
Hilda had planned to take them.
Investigator Cole saw the photograph.
His expression changed.
Then my house phone rang.
Only six people had that private number.
I answered.
Hilda's voice came through.
"You finally noticed your daughters, Graham."
My hand tightened around the receiver.
"Where are you?"
"Closer than you think."
"You're finished."
"No."
She laughed softly.
"You still think this is about the girls."
"Then what is it about?"
May you like
A pause.
"Elena found out what your company was carrying."
