“Preserve it. Let the investigators know it exists, but don’t repeatedly question Ruby yourself.”
I nodded.
“What about the house?”
“Do you and Lucinda live together?”
“Yes.”
“Is she on the property title?”
“No.”
“Then we can discuss the proper steps to end her access and protect Ruby.”
My chest tightened.
“I don’t want her anywhere near us.”
“We’ll handle that lawfully.”
He paused.
“And Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t confront her alone.”
I looked toward Ruby’s room.
“I won’t.”
After the call, Denise came into the hallway.
“How is everything?”
I shook my head.
“She canceled Ruby’s therapy.”
Denise covered her mouth.
“Oh, Daniel.”
I leaned against the wall.
“Why would she do that?”
My sister looked at me.
“Because she didn’t want Ruby to get better?”
The thought made my stomach turn.
I stared at her.
Denise continued.
“Or because she wanted you to believe Ruby was exaggerating.”
I felt a chill.
That was exactly what Lucinda had been saying.
Ruby was pretending.
Ruby wanted attention.
Ruby didn’t need the brace.
What if Lucinda had been building a story?
A story that made my daughter look dishonest.
A story that would make it easier to send her away.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered cautiously.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice spoke.
“Mr. Carter?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Tasha Williams.”
I frowned.
“How can I help you?”
She hesitated.
“I used to work for Lucinda.”
My heart began pounding.
“What do you want?”
Her voice shook.
“I saw the video from the party.”
“What video?”
“Someone posted what happened to your daughter.”
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Someone had recorded it.
Tasha continued.
“Mr. Carter, I need to tell you something.”
I gripped the phone.
“What?”
“Lucinda did something similar to another child.”
I stopped breathing.
“Another child?”
“Yes.”
She swallowed.
“And that child’s family never found out the whole truth.”
I looked toward Ruby’s hospital room.
My daughter was laughing softly at something Denise had said.
The sound should have comforted me.
Instead, I felt dread.
May you like
Because I was beginning to realize that Lucinda’s cruelty might not have started with Ruby.
And it might not have stopped there either.
I met Tasha Williams two days after Ruby came home from the hospital.
By then, I had moved Lucinda’s belongings into a secured spare room.
Marcus had arranged the appropriate notices concerning her access to my house.
The locks and security codes were changed after her right to enter had been addressed.
Ruby was staying with Denise while I handled the arrangements.
I wanted her nowhere near another confrontation.
Tasha arrived at Marcus’s office carrying a folder.
She looked nervous.
She was in her late twenties, with dark braids pulled into a ponytail.
“I almost didn’t come,” she admitted.
I sat across from her.
“Why?”
“Because Lucinda scares me.”
I felt my jaw tighten.
“You’re safe here.”
Tasha nodded.
Then she opened the folder.
“About two years ago, I worked as a nanny for Lucinda’s sister.”
I frowned.
“Her sister?”
“Marissa.”
I had met Marissa only once.
She lived in another state.
Lucinda rarely talked about her.
Tasha continued.
“Marissa has a son named Caleb. He was six at the time.”
I listened carefully.
“Lucinda stayed with them for several months.”
“Why?”
“She said she needed a place to live after losing her apartment.”
Tasha looked down.
“At first, she was nice to Caleb.”
My stomach tightened.
“Then what happened?”
“She started complaining that Marissa loved him more than she loved her.”
I stared at her.
Tasha continued.
“She said Caleb was spoiled. That he cried too much. That he controlled the house.”
The words were painfully familiar.
Ruby was spoiled.
Ruby cried too much.
Ruby controlled my attention.
I felt sick.
Tasha removed a photograph.
It showed a little boy sitting on a couch with a bandage around his wrist.
“Caleb fell down the stairs one afternoon.”
I leaned forward.
“Was Lucinda there?”
Tasha nodded.
“She was supposed to be watching him.”
My heart pounded.
“What happened?”
Tasha hesitated.
“I didn’t see the fall. I arrived afterward.”
She swallowed.
“But Caleb told me Lucinda had grabbed him during an argument.”
Marcus leaned forward.
“Did you report that?”
“Yes. I told Marissa.”
“What did she do?”
“She didn’t believe me.”
Tasha’s eyes filled.
“Lucinda told her I was trying to get her fired.”
I shook my head.
“That sounds familiar.”
Tasha continued.
“Caleb became frightened of Lucinda. He stopped talking when she entered the room.”
I thought about Ruby.
Her silence.
Her fear.
The way she had looked at me before answering the social worker’s questions.
Then Tasha handed Marcus several printed messages.
“These are texts Lucinda sent me.”
I watched Marcus read them.
His expression darkened.
He slid one toward me.
Lucinda had written:
“Children need to learn that adults run the house. Caleb is going to learn that one way or another.”
My hands began shaking.
Another message said:
“Marissa always takes his side. I’m tired of that little brat.”
I looked up.
“Did Caleb recover?”
Tasha nodded.
“Physically, yes.”
I exhaled.
“But emotionally, he struggled for a long time.”
She wiped her eyes.
“Marissa eventually asked Lucinda to leave after Caleb told a counselor he was afraid of her.”
I felt something inside me harden.
This wasn’t one moment of lost temper.
This was a pattern.
Marcus thanked Tasha for speaking with us.
He explained that investigators would need to verify the information and speak directly with the people involved.
Tasha agreed.
Before leaving, she turned toward me.
“Mr. Carter?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t speak up sooner.”
I shook my head.
“You came now.”
Her eyes filled.
“I hope your daughter is okay.”
I swallowed.
“So do I.”
After Tasha left, I sat silently for several minutes.
Marcus watched me.
“Daniel?”
I looked at him.
“How did I not see it?”
He sighed.
“Manipulative people often behave differently depending on who is watching.”
I shook my head.
“She was alone with Ruby.”
“Yes.”
“And I trusted her.”
Marcus leaned forward.
“Now you have to focus on protecting your daughter.”
I nodded.
He continued.
“Self-blame won’t help Ruby heal.”
I knew he was right.
But it didn’t make the guilt disappear.
That evening, I picked Ruby up from Denise’s house.
She was sitting at the dining table, coloring.
Her injured leg rested on a cushion.
A new medical brace protected it.
When she saw me, her face lit up.
“Daddy!”
I smiled.
“Hey, princess.”
She held up her drawing.
“Look!”
It showed three people standing beneath a bright yellow sun.
I recognized myself.
Ruby.
And Denise.
I smiled.
“That’s beautiful.”
Ruby pointed to the drawing.
“Aunt Denise is holding my hand.”
I kissed her forehead.
“She loves you.”
Ruby nodded.
Then she looked at me.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Is Lucinda coming back?”
My heart tightened.
I knelt beside her.
“No, baby.”
Her eyes widened.
“Never?”
“She won’t be living with us again.”
Ruby stared at me.
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