Chapter 10 - The Threat
Police arrived within seven minutes.
The neighborhood camera across the street had caught a dark SUV, but the license plate was covered.
Sarah stood in Margaret's kitchen while an officer photographed the broken window.
"Mrs. Bennett," he said, "do you have somewhere else you can stay tonight?"
"Yes."
Helen arranged a hotel under a private reservation. Lily stayed in a suite with Sarah and Daniel. Margaret took the connecting room.
At midnight, Sarah finally sat beside Lily.
"Are we hiding?" Lily asked.
"We're being careful."
"Because of Miss Vanessa?"
Sarah hated how much her five-year-old already understood.
"Because some grown-ups made bad choices."
Lily leaned into her.
"Daddy too?"
Sarah swallowed.
"Yes. Daddy too."
Lily was quiet for a long time.
"Can I still love him?"
Sarah's eyes filled.
"Of course you can."
"Even if I'm mad?"
"Especially then."
After Lily fell asleep, Helen called.
"We got an emergency order. Mark cannot remove Lily from school, your mother's house, or your care until the hearing."
Sarah closed her eyes in relief.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. His lawyer filed a response."
"Already?"
"They have video from the party. Edited video. It begins with you striking Vanessa. The cake incident is gone."
Sarah looked toward sleeping Lily.
"Daniel has the original."
"Yes, but here's the problem. Their filing claims Daniel altered his version after the fact."
"That's absurd."
"Then we'll prove it."
A knock came at the suite door.
Daniel checked the peephole.
No one.
He opened it with the security latch attached.
A small gift box sat on the carpet.
No card.
Sarah told him not to touch it.
Hotel security arrived.
Inside the box was Lily's missing pearl bracelet from the birthday party.
Under it lay a tiny memory card.
The video on the card showed Mark in his office two months earlier.
He was arguing with someone off camera.
Then a woman's voice said, "You promised Sarah would never find out the company was already insolvent."
Sarah recognized the voice.
May you like
It was not Vanessa.
It was her mother.
