Chapter 3 - DON'T OPEN THE HALLWAY CLOSET!
I answered immediately.
“Where are you?” I demanded.
There was loud music in the background.
“Sarah? What are you doing calling this early?”
“I’m home, Eric.”
Silence.
Then he laughed nervously.
“What do you mean, home?”
“My deployment ended early. I’m standing in our house with police officers because I found Lily alone.”
The music seemed to fade.
“What?”
“Where are you, Eric?”
He didn’t answer.
“Your daughter says you’ve been gone for three nights.”
He began speaking rapidly.
“Sarah, listen. There’s been a misunderstanding. Vanessa was supposed to stay with her.”
“Then why is Lily alone?”
“I don’t know! Vanessa must have messed up!”
I looked at my daughter sitting beside the paramedic.
“She’s hungry, Eric. She’s frightened. She thinks nobody is coming back.”
He swore under his breath.
Then I asked about the woman in his cruise photographs.
“Who is she?”
“That doesn’t matter right now.”
“It matters to me.”
He ignored the question.
“Just take Lily somewhere and calm down. I’ll sort everything out when I get back.”
I felt anger rising in my chest.
“Your daughter is being taken to the hospital. You need to return immediately.”
Then Officer Reynolds asked me to inquire whether anyone else had access to the house.
I repeated the question.
Eric hesitated.
And suddenly his voice changed.
“Sarah, where exactly are you standing?”
“In the living room.”
“Have you been upstairs?”
“Yes.”
“Did you go into the hallway?”
I looked toward the narrow hallway leading to the guest room and storage closet.
“Why?”
His voice rose sharply.
“Whatever you do, don’t open the hallway closet!”
The room went silent.
Officer Reynolds looked at me.
I stared toward the closet door.
“Eric, what’s inside?”
“Nothing! Just don’t touch it!”
“Why?”
“Because I said so!”
His shouting frightened Lily.
She began crying.
I lowered the phone and moved closer to her.
Officer Reynolds quietly asked whether he could speak to Eric.
I placed the call on speaker.
“Mr. Mitchell, this is Officer Reynolds. We’re responding to a report involving an unattended child. Is there anything dangerous inside that closet?”
Eric’s breathing became audible.
“No.”
“Then why are you telling your wife not to open it?”
“Because it’s private property.”
The officer remained calm.
“Is there anything inside that could present an immediate safety risk to your child or anyone entering the home?”
Eric didn’t answer.
Then he said something that made my stomach turn.
“Just wait until I get back.”
The call disconnected.
Officer Reynolds exchanged a glance with his partner.
They didn’t immediately force the closet open.
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Instead, they secured the area, documented the circumstances, and requested appropriate assistance to determine whether there was a safety concern.
I took Lily to the hospital.
