Chapter 5 - The Terrifying Call
Rachel heard the crash through the phone.
Then Chloe’s frightened breathing.
“Chloe, stay with me. Tell me where you are.”
“In the kitchen.”
“Is Dad there?”
“He fell.”
Rachel left the community center without her coat. She called emergency services as she ran toward her car.
“My daughter is having trouble breathing. My husband may be injured. Someone else is inside the house.”
The dispatcher told her police and paramedics were on their way.
The drive home felt endless.
Rachel kept Chloe on the phone, speaking slowly and calmly.
“Sit down, sweetheart. Help is coming.”
“I can’t see Uncle Owen.”
“Do not look for him.”
Daniel’s voice sounded faint in the background.
“Chloe, go to the front door.”
Chloe moved through the kitchen, holding the counter for support.
By the time Rachel’s car turned onto the street, two police cruisers and an ambulance were already outside.
Rachel ran through the front door.
The kitchen looked as if a storm had passed through it.
Daniel lay beside the broken chair. Chloe sat against a cabinet while a paramedic placed an oxygen mask near her face and reassured her.
Rachel dropped beside her daughter.
“I’m here.”
Chloe reached for her hand.
“I didn’t touch anything.”
“You did perfectly.”
A second paramedic examined Daniel.
“He’s breathing. We’re checking for a head injury, but his condition appears stable.”
Lila arrived moments later.
A neighbor had called her after seeing the emergency vehicles. She entered through the rear doorway and froze at the sight of her brother on the floor.
“What happened?”
Rachel shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Officer Alvarez examined the room.
Near the broken chair, he found a silver cufflink engraved with the initials OM.
He placed it in an evidence bag.
“Do you know anyone with these initials?”
Rachel and Lila exchanged a look.
Before either could answer, Alvarez noticed the garage door was not fully closed.
He examined the keypad and the handle.
“There’s no damage,” he said. “Whoever entered knew the code.”
Rachel felt cold.
“Only family knows it.”
May you like
The officer looked toward the hallway.
“And someone knew your daughter wasn’t supposed to be home.”
