Chapter 5 - TOMORROW MORNING
Dana arrived at the house at 9:20 that night.
She read the petition standing at Daniel’s kitchen island.
“This was filed three weeks ago,” she said.
“How could I not know?”
“It says service was attempted twice.”
“It wasn’t.”
Dana turned the page.
“According to this, you refused delivery.”
Daniel laughed once, without humor. “I wasn’t even in town one of those days.”
Dana looked up. “Can you prove that?”
“Hotel receipts. Jobsite logs. Airline ticket.”
“Good.”
The petition accused Daniel of being emotionally volatile, chronically absent, and unable to manage the children’s grief after Emily’s death.
Attached were screenshots of text messages supposedly sent by Daniel.
One read: I can’t deal with them tonight. Keep them away from me.
Another: Noah is becoming a problem.
Daniel’s hands shook.
“I never sent these.”
Noah stood in the doorway.
“She uses your old phone.”
Daniel turned. “What old phone?”
“The black one from your desk drawer.”
Daniel ran upstairs.
The drawer was empty.
Rachel had once asked for an old phone to use as a music player in the guest room. He had forgotten about it.
Dana checked the petition again.
“If that phone still had your account signed in, she may have been able to create messages that looked like yours.”
Then Dana pointed to the final exhibit.
A photograph showed Lily asleep on a couch at 11:47 p.m.
The caption read: CHILD LEFT UNATTENDED WHILE FATHER ABSENT.
Daniel recognized the room.
His own living room.
“That night I was upstairs with Noah,” he said. “He had a fever.”
Dana flipped to the next photo.
Daniel asleep in a chair, head tipped back, an empty whiskey glass on the table.
“I don’t drink whiskey.”
Noah spoke from behind him.
“Aunt Rachel put that glass there.”
Daniel turned slowly.
“You saw her?”
Noah nodded.
“She took the picture after you fell asleep.”
Dana’s expression sharpened.
“Daniel, tomorrow morning isn’t just a hearing.”
She tapped the petition.
“It’s an ambush.”
Then her phone buzzed.
She read the screen and went still.
“Rachel just filed an emergency supplement.”
“What does it say?”
May you like
Dana looked at Lily.
“It says you assaulted your sister tonight.”
