Chapter 7 - THE MAN AT THE FENCE
Daniel was out the back door before I could stop him.
I stayed with Elise and Owen while he crossed the yard with a flashlight and a tire iron. The camera showed a hooded man moving along the side fence, not toward the house but toward the breaker box.
Daniel shouted.
The man ran.
He made it over the fence, but dropped something in the gravel.
A small black device.
Police identified it as a Wi-Fi jammer.
In the morning, Detective Salazar took over the case. He wasn't interested in family drama. He was interested in sequence.
Anonymous CPS report.
Stolen phone.
Disconnected cameras.
Forged signature.
Threatening text.
Man with a jammer.
"This is coordination," he said.
The burner number had contacted only two numbers that month.
One belonged to Warren Pike's office.
The other belonged to Scott Voss.
Daniel stared at the name.
Scott was Lenora's nephew. Former private investigator. Current security consultant for Voss Industrial.
"He handles my mother's personal security," Daniel said.
Detective Salazar asked for Scott's address.
Daniel gave it.
Then Elise noticed something on the table: the pharmacy bag she had carried home the night before. One bottle was missing.
Her prescribed sleep medication.
She hadn't taken a single pill since Owen was born because she was breastfeeding.
The bottle had been full.
A terrible possibility settled over the room.
Someone could drug a drink, photograph her asleep, and create exactly the evidence described in the CPS reports.
Elise whispered, "The report said I fell asleep after drinking wine."
Daniel looked toward the trash can.
Inside, beneath paper towels, was an empty miniature wine bottle.
Neither of them drank wine.
Then Detective Salazar's phone rang.
He listened, frowned, and looked at us.
"Scott Voss's house is empty."
"So?" Daniel asked.
"So his neighbor says he left two hours ago with luggage."
May you like
Salazar paused.
"And an infant car seat."
