Chapter 16 - THE WOMAN IN THE CAP
The signature on the prepared statement wasn't Mom's. An examiner retained through the attorneys would later identify signs of copying, but I didn't need an expert to see that she'd never written the tiny loop in the last letter of her name.
"I'm not signing it," Mom said.
"You won't have to."
That night, Ryan posted a long message online about his "missing children" and his "unstable military wife." He didn't name my unit, but strangers began posting guesses. The comments came fast: accusations, threats, people congratulating him for standing up to me.
I wanted to answer every lie. June told me to preserve the posts and say nothing publicly while the parenting case was active. I hated that advice because it was good advice.
Meanwhile Leah reviewed the greenhouse footage with investigators. One frame captured the intruder's wrist as the person lifted the cap. A pearl bracelet flashed beneath the sleeve.
"Vivian wears one like that," I said.
"A resemblance doesn't identify her," Leah replied. "But there's another angle."
The second camera showed the person climbing into a silver sedan near the public trail. It was registered to Vivian.
When Mills questioned her, Vivian claimed she'd been visiting a friend. Her story changed when the detective mentioned the damaged fence.
"We have no reason to debate this at your kitchen table," Mills later told me. "We'll compare the available evidence and follow it."
For me, it was enough to know my children had been watched from outside their own window.
That evening, Emma asked why I kept checking the doors.
"Because keeping you safe is my job," I said.
She touched my cheek with her small hand. "Nana safe too?"
"Nana too."
Then June called. "The judge has set a hearing about the temporary contact rules. Ryan just filed a sworn declaration."
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"What does he claim?"
"That your mother is incompetent to make decisions for herself."
