Chapter 6 - Her Version
Linda's version was already waiting for the deputies.
According to her, I was exhausted, unstable, screaming, and "rough" with Noah. She claimed she tried to calm me down and I attacked her.
"She poured milk over my baby," I said.
The deputy looked at the bassinet.
"Do you have video?"
My stomach dropped.
We had a nursery camera.
Ryan had unplugged it three days earlier because Linda complained that the status light kept her awake when she sat with Noah.
I turned on him.
"You unplugged the only camera?"
"I didn't know-"
"You knew enough to make her promise not to do this again."
That shut him up.
The deputies photographed my wrist, Linda's red cheek from a picture she had texted them, and Noah's wet blanket.
One deputy asked Ryan to speak privately.
I heard only fragments.
"...family history..."
"...should've told my wife..."
"...father's records..."
Then a woman arrived from Child Protective Services.
Her name was Dana Ortiz.
She was calm, professional, and very clear.
"This does not mean anyone is taking your baby. It means I need to understand what happened and whether Noah is safe tonight."
I nodded.
Ryan looked sick.
Dana asked, "Does Linda Mercer have access to the home?"
"She has a key," I said.
Ryan's face changed.
"No. I changed the locks last year."
I stared at him.
Then we all heard it.
A soft electronic beep from the garage entry.
Someone entered the correct security code.
The mudroom door opened.
May you like
But it wasn't Linda.
It was a man I had never seen before, carrying a legal envelope with my name on it.
