Chapter 6 - The Full Confession
The detective explained the rest of the plot. The older women had forged Claire’s signature on a power of attorney document. They planned to pour the water on Lily’s arm to create an immediate medical emergency, forcing Claire to leave the room to find help or towels.
While Claire was distracted, they were going to snatch the child, bundle her into the waiting van, and disappear across the state line using the fake documents if they were stopped. They believed the holistic healer in Nevada was a prophet. They were fully prepared to let Lily die of untreated cancer to prove a point about "natural medicine."
"I can't believe it," Claire whispered, her voice hollow. "My own mother."
"Delusion is a dangerous thing, ma'am," the detective said. He turned to me. "What’s your name?"
"Elena," I said quietly.
"Well, Elena. If you hadn't walked in to clean this room right at that second, and if you hadn't fought back... they would be on the highway right now. You are a hero."
I shook my head. "I'm just a housekeeper. I just saw a little girl crying."
"Most people would have walked away," Claire said. She stood up, carrying Lily, and walked over to me. She didn't say anything else. She didn't need to. She just wrapped her free arm around my neck and hugged me fiercely.
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Outside, the grandmother was still yelling as they forced her into the back of a police cruiser. "She’s my blood! I have a right!"
The heavy steel door of the patrol car slammed shut, cutting off her toxic voice forever.
