Chapter 9 - the house where diana left the lights on)
The no contact order did not require Diana to remain at home.
She was not under arrest.
Not yet.
But after police found the Briar Lane evidence, detectives drove to her house.
The front door was open.
Every light was on.
Diana was gone.
Her phone lay on the kitchen counter.
Her purse remained beside it.
Her car sat in the garage.
No luggage was missing.
There was blood nowhere.
There were no signs of forced entry.
Only one unusual detail.
A teacup rested on the dining table.
Across from it sat another cup.
Someone had visited her.
David was told to stay away.
He went anyway, remaining outside the police line.
Laura stood beside him.
"Do you think she ran?"
David watched detectives move through the windows.
"No."
"Why?"
"Mom doesn't leave her purse."
Laura glanced at him.
"You sound like you're defending her."
"I'm not."
"What if Raymond warned her?"
"Raymond can't talk."
"What if he did before he ended up in the hospital?"
David didn't answer.
Ruiz emerged.
"We found a note."
"From Mom?"
"Maybe."
"What does it say?"
Ruiz hesitated.
"David knows."
David stared.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"I don't know anything."
"Maybe she thinks you do."
"Or somebody wants you to think she wrote it," Laura said.
Ruiz nodded.
"Exactly."
A detective carried a laptop outside in an evidence bag.
Another brought documents.
David saw one page.
A photograph was clipped to it.
Claire.
He stepped forward.
"What's that?"
Ruiz blocked him gently.
"We'll discuss it later."
"Why does Mom have Claire's picture?"
"David."
"Emma said Raymond gave her a paper with Claire's picture."
Ruiz looked toward the evidence bag.
Then at David.
"Go home."
"Not until you tell me."
Ruiz lowered his voice.
"The photograph was taken three days before Claire died."
"So?"
"Someone was following her."
David felt cold.
The photograph showed Claire entering a parking garage.
A timestamp appeared in the corner.
On the back someone had written:
She met E.S. again.
Evelyn Shaw.
David looked at Ruiz.
"They were watching Claire."
"Yes."
"Who took it?"
"We don't know."
"You think Raymond?"
"Possibly."
David thought about Claire's video.
Diana isn't the most dangerous person involved.
That night David was finally allowed a supervised visit with Emma at Laura's house.
He sat on the floor building a plastic castle.
Emma seemed happier.
Children had a strange ability to return to the present when adults remained trapped in yesterday.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"Can our castle have two doors?"
"Absolutely."
"One for good people."
"And the other?"
"For people we don't know yet."
David smiled.
"That's smart."
Emma attached a blue tower.
"Grandma said Mommy had a secret door."
David's hand stopped.
"What?"
Emma continued playing.
"At the little house."
"What little house?"
"The one Grandma took me to."
Laura looked up from the sofa.
David kept his voice calm.
"When did Grandma take you there?"
Emma shrugged.
"A lot."
"Where was it?"
"I don't know."
"What did it look like?"
"Green door."
"Did you go inside?"
"Sometimes."
"Who else was there?"
"The hat man."
Raymond.
"Anyone else?"
Emma nodded.
"A lady."
David's pulse quickened.
"What lady?"
"She didn't talk."
"What did she look like?"
Emma frowned while thinking.
"Like Mommy."
Laura slowly stood.
David's mouth became dry.
"Like Mommy how?"
"Her hair."
"Was it Mommy?"
Emma shook her head.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Mommy's in heaven."
David swallowed.
"Right."
Emma leaned close.
"Grandma got mad when I said the lady looked like Mommy."
"What did Grandma say?"
Emma's expression changed as she imitated Diana.
"Never say that again."
Laura walked into the kitchen and grabbed her phone.
David followed.
"Who are you calling?"
"Ruiz."
David looked back at Emma.
"The green door."
Laura nodded.
"We find the house."
Police searched records connected to Diana.
No obvious property matched.
Then Evelyn found something inside the foundation documents.
Easton Property Services owned three residential buildings.
One was a vacant duplex.
One was an apartment leased to a retired accountant.
The third was a small cottage on Mill Creek Road.
Its front door was green.
By midnight, police had a warrant.
David was not permitted to enter.
He waited three houses away in Ruiz's car.
Twenty minutes passed.
Then thirty.
Finally Ruiz returned.
"What did you find?"
Ruiz didn't answer immediately.
"Tell me."
"We found photographs."
"Of Emma?"
"Yes."
David's fists tightened.
"What else?"
"Photographs of you. Laura. Claire."
"Anything about the woman Emma saw?"
Ruiz looked toward the cottage.
"There was a bedroom in the back."
"And?"
"Women's clothes."
"So?"
"David."
Ruiz took a slow breath.
"The closet contains dresses in Claire's size."
David stared at him.
"Claire is dead."
"I know."
"There has to be another explanation."
"We also found prescription bottles."
"Whose name?"
May you like
Ruiz looked directly into his eyes.
"Claire Mercer."
