Chapter 9 - CHRISTMAS AT HOME
Corinne returned to the house with Casey on Christmas Eve.
The keypad had been removed.
Gwendolyn’s clothes were gone.
Ross’s belongings had been packed by a court-approved service and moved into storage.
The house felt empty, but not peaceful.
Casey remained close to Corinne as they moved through each room.
“Can we change things?” she asked.
“Anything you want.”
They replaced the unfamiliar curtains. They moved the hallway table away from the door. Corinne let Casey choose a new lock for the office, but she placed the keypad low enough for the child to reach.
“The office isn’t a secret place anymore,” Corinne said. “But important things still need to stay safe.”
Casey placed the silver key inside the fireproof box.
Then she put the teddy bear beside it.
That evening, Leah, Miriam, Officer Ruiz, and Dr. Park joined them for a small Christmas dinner. No one wore formal clothes. No one discussed the case unless Casey brought it up.
They decorated the tree with handmade ornaments.
Casey placed a paper star at the top.
After dinner, she gave Corinne a folded drawing.
It showed two people standing outside a house in the rain. One was small and wore red pajamas. The other wore a dark uniform.
Above them, Casey had drawn a large yellow umbrella.
“What is this?” Corinne asked.
“You’re the umbrella,” Casey said. “You stopped the bad rain.”
Corinne pulled her close.
“No, sweetheart. We stopped it together.”
For the first time since returning, Corinne allowed herself to cry.
Not from defeat.
May you like
Not from fear.
From relief.
