Chapter 4 - THE FIRST SILVER FISH
The recording began at 3:12 the previous afternoon.
Lily sat at the dining table coloring a picture of an aquarium. Eleanor entered from the kitchen wearing the same cream suit she wore at the hospital. She checked the hallway, then lowered the window shade behind the table.
She placed a small velvet pouch beside Lily’s crayons.
“What are those?” Lily asked.
“Little silver fish.”
Eleanor tipped several tiny metallic beads into her palm. They rolled toward one another and snapped into a cluster.
Lily laughed.
Eleanor separated one and held it between two fingers.
“These fish want to swim inside a very brave girl.”
Detective Owens paused the video.
No one in the hospital room breathed.
“Keep playing it,” I said.
On the screen, Lily shook her head. Eleanor touched the child’s chin and softened her voice.
“Daddy said we need to show people that Mommy doesn’t watch you properly.”
Daniel whispered, “No.”
Detective Miller turned toward him.
The video continued.
Eleanor placed one small object into a spoonful of applesauce. Lily swallowed, then asked whether it was safe. Eleanor told her it was a game and promised she would become special if she kept the secret.
The footage did not show all thirty-six being swallowed that afternoon.
It showed something worse.
The timestamp jumped back three days.
Eleanor sat in the same chair, opening the same pouch.
Then another date.
Then another.
She had been giving Lily the magnets gradually.
May you like
Each time, she called them little fish.
Each time, she told Lily not to tell me because I would ruin Daddy’s important plan.
