Chapter 2 - the red room)
The next morning, Emily refused pancakes.
That frightened Laura more than the crying.
Pancakes were Emily's favorite food.
She usually insisted on cutting them into uneven little stars with the dull edge of her fork.
Now she sat at the kitchen island staring at the plate.
Laura poured a glass of milk.
"Want strawberries instead?"
Emily shook her head.
Laura sat across from her.
She remembered Sarah's warning.
Do not lead her.
Do not suggest answers.
Let the child speak.
"So," Laura said carefully, "anything you want to do today?"
Emily shrugged.
"We could go to the park."
Another shrug.
"Or we can stay home."
Emily looked toward the hallway.
"Can Dad come in if the door is locked?"
Laura's stomach tightened.
"Not unless I open it."
"What if Vanessa has a key?"
"She doesn't."
"Are you sure?"
Laura forced herself to keep her voice neutral.
"I'm sure."
Emily touched her cheek.
There was no mark then.
That would come later.
"Did something scare you yesterday?"
Emily's eyes filled.
Laura immediately stopped.
"You don't have to tell me anything right now."
Emily slid from the stool and hugged her.
"I don't want you to die."
Laura felt cold all over.
"Why would I die?"
Emily buried her face in Laura's blouse.
"I don't know."
Laura called Sarah from the bathroom twenty minutes later.
She repeated Emily's words exactly.
Sarah was silent for several seconds.
"Has she ever said anything like that before?"
"No."
"Do you believe she's in immediate danger at Daniel's?"
"I don't know what I believe."
"Then we move carefully. If there's physical abuse, we need evidence or a disclosure to the appropriate professional. The worst thing we can do is let Daniel accuse you of coaching."
"What do I do?"
"I want Emily seen by a child therapist who understands custody cases."
The appointment was arranged for Monday.
Daniel objected before Laura had even finished explaining.
"You scheduled therapy without consulting me?"
"She's afraid."
"Because you're making her afraid."
"She told me she doesn't want me to die."
Daniel exhaled sharply.
"Children say things."
"Seven year olds don't usually say that for no reason."
"Laura, this is exactly why I filed."
Her hand tightened around the phone.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you're unstable."
There it was again.
Not angry.
Not loud.
Just measured enough to sound reasonable.
Laura ended the call.
Monday afternoon, she took Emily to Dr. Nora Patel.
Dr. Patel did not ask about custody on the first visit.
She asked Emily about school.
Friends.
Pets.
Favorite colors.
Emily relaxed slowly.
When they left, she seemed lighter.
On the third visit, Dr. Patel asked Laura to remain in the waiting room longer than usual.
Forty minutes passed.
Then fifty.
Finally, Dr. Patel opened the door.
Her expression was calm, but her eyes were serious.
"Emily mentioned something I need to discuss with you."
Laura's pulse jumped.
"Did she say someone hurt her?"
"Not exactly."
"What did she say?"
Dr. Patel sat across from Laura.
"She described a room with red curtains. She said Vanessa takes her there when your ex husband is working."
Laura swallowed.
"Where?"
"She doesn't know."
"What happens there?"
"She said Vanessa asks her questions."
"What kind of questions?"
Dr. Patel glanced at her notes.
"Questions about who she loves more. Questions about whether you're sad. Whether you cry. Whether you forget things. Whether you ever leave the stove on."
Laura felt sick.
"Why?"
"I can't interpret motive from one child's account."
"What else?"
"Emily said there is a camera in the room."
Laura leaned forward.
"A camera?"
"She said Vanessa tells her to answer questions while looking at it."
Laura stared at the doctor.
A memory surfaced.
Daniel's custody filing.
One section accused Laura of emotional instability and carelessness.
It claimed Emily had expressed fear about being left alone.
Laura had dismissed the allegations as exaggerations.
Now she wondered if someone had been constructing them.
"Can you document what she told you?"
"I already have."
Daniel's attorney objected to Dr. Patel within twenty four hours.
His name was Richard Sloan, a polished family law specialist who seemed to speak in objections even outside a courtroom.
He claimed Laura had selected a biased therapist.
He demanded joint approval for future treatment.
Sarah filed a response.
The custody case became uglier.
Then, on Thursday, Laura received an email from an unknown address.
No greeting.
No name.
Only six words.
Ask Daniel about Meadow Lane.
Attached was a photograph.
Laura opened it.
The image showed a black SUV parked outside a narrow brick house.
Daniel's SUV.
The timestamp was March 15.
The night Emily came home late.
Laura zoomed in.
A woman stood near the passenger door.
Vanessa.
Beside her was Emily.
Laura's hands began shaking.
The house number was visible.
1147 Meadow Lane.
Laura searched the address.
The property belonged to a company called West Vale Holdings.
She searched the company.
No useful information appeared.
She sent everything to Sarah.
"Do not go there," Sarah told her.
"I wasn't planning to."
"You're lying."
Laura was silent.
"Laura."
"Fine."
"Do not go there. We can investigate legally."
But that night, after Emily fell asleep, Laura sat in her car two blocks from 1147 Meadow Lane.
The house was dark.
Red curtains covered the upstairs windows.
Laura stared for almost ten minutes.
Then headlights appeared behind her.
A vehicle turned slowly onto the street.
Laura lowered herself in the driver's seat.
The car passed.
She recognized it.
Daniel's.
It stopped directly in front of 1147.
Daniel stepped out.
Then another man emerged from the passenger side.
Laura had never seen him before.
He wore a gray coat.
He carried a black folder.
The two men entered the house.
Laura grabbed her phone and took three photographs.
Before she could take a fourth, someone knocked on her passenger window.
Laura screamed.
May you like
Vanessa stood outside.
Smiling.
