Chapter 5
The next week was a blur.
Police put a surveillance team on Mark’s house. Unmarked cars parked down the street, watching 24/7.
Daniel’s parents went to the station. Gave full statements. About the fake death. The hush money. The years of abuse they’d ignored. Cried the whole time. Said they were sorry. Said they’d been scared of him too.
I didn’t forgive them. Not even a little. But their testimony was gold. Enough to get a warrant to search Mark’s house.
The police executed it on a Tuesday morning.
Daniel and I waited at the station. Paced the lobby. Drank bad coffee that tasted like burnt cardboard.
Lily was with Karen from the adoption agency. They’d gone to the zoo. Lily loved giraffes. Karen had promised her she could feed them. I’d packed her favorite snacks. Extra strawberries. A juice box. Tried to make it feel like a normal day. Even though nothing was normal anymore.
After three hours, Detective Martinez came out. She was holding a stack of evidence bags. Her face was tight. Angry.
“We got it,” she said.
She laid the bags out on the front desk.
A black leather belt. Stiff. Worn. The same kind Daniel wore to work.
“Found it in his closet,” she said. “Forensics is running it for blood and skin cells. But I’d bet my badge it’s the one he used.”
Next. A stack of photos. Polaroids.
I picked one up.
It was Lily. Tied to a chair. Face streaked with tears. A gag in her mouth.
I dropped the photo like it burned me.
“Jesus,” Daniel whispered. Picked up another. It was one of the other girls. Same chair. Same gag.
“He kept them,” Detective Martinez said. “Dozens of them. Hidden in a floor safe in his bedroom. We also found journals. Detailed notes about every kid he fostered. What he did. How they cried. How they were too scared to tell.”
She picked up the last bag.
A knife. 8-inch blade. Sharp.
“Under his mattress,” she said. “And a list. With Lily’s name on it. Her new address. Her school. The times she gets on and off the bus.”
I felt sick. Leaned against the counter for support.
He’d been to our house. He’d watched her get on the bus. All that time, we’d had no idea.
“Can we arrest him now?” Daniel said. His voice was low. Dangerous.
Detective Martinez nodded.
“Judge signed the warrants an hour ago. Aggravated assault of a child. Possession of child pornography. Stalking. Attempted kidnapping. We’re picking him up right now.”
She looked at her watch.
“Swat team is at his house as we speak.”
An hour later, we got the call.
Mark was in custody.
He’d fought when they broke down the door. Tried to climb out the back window. Tried to pull the knife. One of the officers had tased him. He was in the hospital getting checked out before they booked him into the county jail.
No bail. The judge had denied it outright. Too much flight risk. Too much danger to the community.
He was gone. Locked up.
Daniel let out a breath he’d been holding for weeks. Sank onto the bench in the lobby. Put his head in his hands. Cried.
I sat down next to him. Held him.
We did it, I thought. It’s over.
But I was wrong.
It was only just beginning.
That night, we picked Lily up from Karen’s. She was holding a stuffed giraffe, taller than she was, covered in orange and brown spots.
“Mommy!” she yelled when she saw me. Ran and threw her arms around my legs. “I fed the giraffe! He ate three whole leaves from my hand! Look what Karen got me!”
She held up the giraffe. Grinned so big her dimples showed.
I picked her up. Hugged her so tight. Breathed in the smell of her shampoo, the cotton candy she’d eaten at the zoo.
“That’s amazing, baby,” I said. My voice was thick with tears.
She looked over my shoulder at Daniel.
“Daddy?” she said. “Why are you crying?”
Daniel wiped his face. Smiled. Held out his arms.
For a second, I thought she’d hesitate.
But she didn’t.
She leaned out of my arms. Let him take her. Held on tight around his neck.
“Because I’m happy,” he said. Kissed the top of her head. “So, so happy.”
That night, we made her favorite dinner. Mac and cheese with extra cheese. Hot dogs cut into octopuses. Strawberries for dessert.
We sat at the dining table. The same table she’d hidden under just a week before.
She chattered the whole time. About the giraffes. About the monkeys who’d stolen a kid’s popcorn. About the ice cream she’d had.
Daniel and I listened. Smiled. Nodded. Held hands under the table.
For the first time in weeks, we didn’t feel scared. We felt light. Like we could breathe again.
After dinner, we watched a movie. Lily fell asleep between us on the couch, her giraffe tucked under one arm.
Daniel carried her to bed. Tucked her in. Kissed her forehead.
We stood in the doorway for a long time. Watching her sleep.
“It’s over,” Daniel said. Quiet. “He’s never gonna hurt her again.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder.
“Good,” I said.
But at 3 a.m., I woke up screaming.
I’d had a nightmare. Mark was in the house. Standing over Lily’s bed. The belt in his hand.
I ran to her room. Threw open the door.
The bed was empty.
The window was wide open. The screen was cut.
“Lily!” I screamed.
Daniel was behind me in two seconds. Turned on the light.
The room was empty. Her giraffe was on the floor. Her favorite blanket was gone.
May you like
The note was on her pillow.
Told you I’d take her.
