Chapter 5 - The House With the Deadbolt
The police searched Reena’s house that evening.
Peter did not go inside.
He wanted to.
He wanted to see every corner where Aaron’s children had been hidden.
But the officer told him to stay at the hospital, and for once Peter understood that protecting the children mattered more than feeding his rage.
The first call came at dusk.
They had found the downstairs door.
A deadbolt installed on the outside.
Not a normal lock.
Not a childproof latch.
A lock meant to keep someone in.
The second call came after dark.
They had found a small storage room with a blanket, empty snack wrappers, and a plastic cup.
Peter closed his eyes.
The officer did not describe more than he needed to.
That mercy mattered.
Then came the camera.
Reena had installed a small hidden camera near the downstairs hallway, apparently to “monitor behavior.” She must have thought it protected her story.
Instead, it protected Drew and Lily.
Footage showed dates.
Times.
Patterns.
Children being sent downstairs when they were inconvenient.
Lily crying.
Drew trying to comfort her.
Reena leaving the house while the door stayed locked.
The messages were worse in a quieter way.
Texts to a friend.
I can’t stand Aaron’s kids anymore.
Drew keeps asking for Peter.
Lily cries if I don’t feed her first thing.
I need a break before I lose it.
Then another.
If Peter finds out, I’ll say he’s unstable and trying to steal them.
Peter read that line later in the police report and sat very still for a long time.
May you like
Because he understood then that Reena had not simply kept him away.
She had studied how to make people doubt him if he came too close.
