Chapter 6 - THE SOUND OF A SLAP

Mia began shaking again.

Claire reached for the recorder. "Turn it off."

Emma did.

Daniel whispered, "Oh, God."

Vanessa recovered first. "You can't prove what that was."

Claire looked at her like she had become something unrecognizable. "You are standing next to a child with a red handprint on her face."

"It could have been anything."

"A chair falling?" Claire said. "A door closing? Are you hearing yourself?"

Officer Ramirez took the recorder from Emma using a clean evidence bag. "Did you edit this?"

"No, ma'am."

"Is the original file stored anywhere else?"

"My laptop autosaves it."

Vanessa's eyes flicked toward the sound booth.

Claire caught it.

So did Ramirez.

"Ben," the officer said, "please make sure no one enters the booth."

The security guard nodded and left.

"Vanessa," he said without turning around, "tell me the truth right now."

"I did."

He spun toward her. "No. You gave me a story. I want the truth."

"She was out of control."

"She is eight."

"She kicked me."

Mia gasped. "I didn't!"

Claire pulled her closer.

Daniel's voice dropped. "Did you hit my daughter?"

Vanessa said nothing.

He asked again.

Nothing.

Then Vanessa pointed at Claire. "You want to talk about hitting? She assaulted me in front of witnesses."

Officer Ramirez said, "Both incidents can matter. One does not erase the other."

"I want to press charges," Vanessa said.

Daniel stared at her. "Against Claire?"

"Yes."

"For protecting Mia?"

"For attacking me."

Claire held Mia and said nothing.

Officer Ramirez took out her notebook.

Then Emma spoke from behind them.

"Um... there's more on the recording."

Vanessa's smile disappeared.

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Emma swallowed.

"She said something about custody."