Chapter 17 - What a Child Is Worth

The full custody hearing began six weeks later, after the court-appointed child specialist had interviewed Caleb at his own pace. The criminal investigation remained separate. Nobody promised Isabel that one hearing could fix every injustice.

Sloane wore gray instead of green. She looked tired, and her attorney described her as a loving stepmother overwhelmed by a difficult child.

Maya presented the records: the blue-room images, Fenwick's actual treatment notes, the school logs, the letters, and evidence that Sloane had controlled Ethan's incoming correspondence. The judge watched clips of Caleb entering the locked room, then looked away before the final one ended.

Ethan testified next.

"Did you personally verify the accusations against Isabel?" Maya asked.

"No."

"Did she ever tell you she wanted to abandon Caleb?"

"No."

"Then why did you tell your son she chose to leave?"

Ethan's throat worked. "Because I accepted an accusation that suited me better than admitting I didn't know what had happened. I failed him. And I failed his mother."

He did not glance at Isabel to see whether the confession had earned him anything.

The judge modified the old restrictions, restored Isabel's regular parenting time on a carefully staged schedule, and ordered continued support for Caleb while the custody review proceeded. She directed Ethan and Isabel to work with a parenting coordinator and prohibited Sloane from contact pending further review.

Isabel stepped into the corridor shaking. Maya caught her elbow.

"You did it," she whispered.

"We have a schedule," Maya corrected gently. "That's real progress."

Ethan came out carrying Caleb's stuffed seal. He had brought it as a comfort object for the specialist, but Caleb hadn't needed it during the final meeting.

"He wants to give this to you," Ethan said. "So it can sleep at both houses."

Isabel took the crooked-flippered toy and began to cry.

Her phone rang. Detective Price spoke before she could greet him.

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"We have a warrant for Victor's files, and the prosecutor is preparing charges. But Sloane disappeared from the hotel where she's been staying. Her car was found at the private marina."

Through the courthouse window, Isabel could see storm clouds gathering over the bay.