Chapter 9 - Dr. Keller
By sunrise, Claire had not slept.
Rachel made coffee. Claire ignored it.
Instead, she organized evidence on the kitchen table.
Photos from the hospital.
The baby-monitor recording.
Emily’s letter.
Screenshots of old messages where Grant told Claire she was “too emotional to make decisions.”
A calendar entry for an appointment with Dr. Keller the following morning—an appointment Claire did not remember making.
Rachel saw it and frowned.
“Tomorrow at nine?”
Claire nodded.
The notes field read: POSTPARTUM EVALUATION - spouse attending.
“I didn’t schedule this.”
Rachel took a slow breath. “Don’t call him.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
Claire surprised herself by meaning it.
At 8:12 a.m., Officer Patel called.
Grant had been released pending further proceedings, but the emergency protective order prohibited him from contacting Claire or approaching Rachel’s house.
Diane was also named in the no-contact provisions for the next several days while the court reviewed the situation.
Claire expected panic.
Instead, she felt a cold kind of focus.
“What about the recording?” she asked.
“We preserved a copy with your consent.”
“And the suitcase?”
“That’s being documented.”
Claire hesitated. “There may be something involving our doctor.”
Patel became very quiet.
“Tell me.”
Claire did.
Twenty minutes later, Patel asked Claire not to contact Keller until an investigator could speak with her.
At 9:03, Claire’s phone rang from an unknown number.
She let it go to voicemail.
A man’s voice began speaking through the speaker.
“Claire, this is Dr. Keller. Grant told me there was a misunderstanding last night. I’m concerned about your decision-making and the baby’s safety. Please call me immediately.”
Rachel’s face changed.
Claire saved the voicemail.
At 9:11, Keller called again.
At 9:26, a text arrived.
Failure to cooperate may leave us no choice but to involve child welfare.
Claire stared at the screen.
Rachel said, “He’s threatening you.”
Claire shook her head slowly.
“No. He’s building a record.”
Then another text appeared.
This one was from Grant.
It contained no words.
Only a photograph.
Claire’s stomach dropped.
The picture showed Rachel’s house from across the street.
May you like
At the bottom, a timestamp read 9:31 a.m.
The current time was 9:32.
