Chapter 14 - THE BLUE RABBIT
Three months later, the blue knitted rabbit sat on Rebecca's bench.
Not as evidence.
Lily had forgotten it after a private meeting with Maya.
Rebecca picked it up.
One ear leaned permanently sideways.
The yarn was cheap.
One stitched eye larger than the other.
Sarah had made it in treatment.
Or that was what everyone believed.
Maya returned for it.
Rebecca asked:
“How is she?”
“Lily?”
“Yes.”
“Still angry at everyone.”
Rebecca almost smiled.
“Healthy.”
“She had her first overnight with Sarah last weekend.”
“How did it go?”
“Sarah burned pancakes.”
“Serious.”
“Lily called Helen because she thought the smoke alarm was going to bring the fire department.”
Rebecca laughed.
Then Maya became serious.
“Vanessa has followed the order.”
Supervised visits.
No custody talk.
No letters.
No questions about Sarah.
Vanessa had apologized to Lily once.
Not:
I did it because I love you.
Not:
Your mother made me scared.
Just:
“I used your words without permission. I made you responsible for something adults should have handled.”
Lily asked:
“Why?”
Vanessa said:
“Because I wanted the judge to agree with me.”
Ugly.
Appropriate.
Lily did not forgive her that day.
She still hugged her goodbye.
Children are not court orders.
Then Maya handed Rebecca a storage report.
David Carter's old lawyer had located a backup drive.
The encrypted BLUE file appeared there too.
Same file.
Older encryption.
Potentially recoverable.
“Should we open it?”
Rebecca asked.
“Not unless it's relevant to Lily's current best interests.”
Good.
Curiosity is not jurisdiction.
Then Maya showed her something else.
The backup contained an email draft from David to Vanessa.
Dated one week before his surgery.
Subject:
Lily if things go wrong
Most of it matched the instructions already recovered.
One line did not.
If Sarah relapses, you may need to keep Lily for a while. But do not use the blue story. That belongs to us, not to her.
Rebecca read it again.
“Blue story?”
Maya shook her head.
“No idea.”
“Does Vanessa?”
“I asked.”
“And?”
“She said David was confused from medication.”
Rebecca looked at her.
“You believe that?”
“No.”
Neither did Rebecca.
Then Maya turned the blue rabbit over.
A small fabric tag had been sewn into the underside.
Not Sarah's handwriting.
Commercial tag.
HARBOR HOUSE CRAFT PROGRAM
Date code:
Sarah had not entered Harbor's recovery program until 2024.
Rebecca stared.
“Sarah said she made this during treatment.”
“She believes she did.”
“What does that mean?”
Maya had asked Sarah.
Sarah said the center supplied unfinished craft kits from donated inventory.
She knitted the outer body and repaired the ears.
The internal stuffed form may have been old.
Fine.
Probably meaningless.
Then Maya added:
“The tag is from a different Harbor.”
Not Family Access Center.
Not Sarah's treatment program.
Harbor House Women's Shelter.
Seven years before the current case.
Sarah had never stayed there.
Vanessa had.
For eleven days.
Rebecca looked up.
That fact did not appear anywhere in the custody record.
“What happened in 2017?”
Maya answered:
“Vanessa says it has nothing to do with Lily.”
Maybe.
May you like
Maybe not.
The rabbit suddenly had a history older than anyone in the current case had admitted.
