“They said I was confused because of my surgery. Then Tessa told me she would handle everything.”
“You knew they were taking care of Elise?”
“I thought they were feeding her and helping with homework. I never imagined…” She stopped.
Neither did I.
That was the problem with imagining. It always arrived too late.
Detective Bell asked Judith to remain in the living room while we searched the office. She agreed and offered to call Ryan’s attorney, but Bell said it was unnecessary.
The office door was closed.
I recognized the room from Elise’s drawing. Ryan’s desk stood beneath the window, facing a backyard where rain gathered on the stone path. A blue folder rested on the desk beside a stack of unopened mail.
Bell photographed the room before approaching.
“Do you know which drawer?” she asked.
“Bottom left.”
The drawer had a small brass lock.
I took out the key.
It fit.
The lock clicked open.
Inside were tax documents, a passport, two envelopes, and a thick file beneath a blue folder. I looked at Bell.
“May I?”
“Wait.”
She photographed the contents, then nodded.
I lifted the folder.
Beneath it lay a set of papers secured with a binder clip.
The first page was a letter from a family law attorney dated three weeks earlier.
**Re: Proposed emergency custody petition**
I read the first paragraph, then the second.
The attorney had not recommended filing.
In fact, the letter stated that the available information did not establish neglect and that pursuing emergency custody without stronger evidence could damage Ryan’s position.
I turned the page.
Several handwritten notes appeared in the margins.
Most were in Ryan’s handwriting.
**Need clarification about school attendance.**
**Ask Nia directly before filing.**
**Do not rely on social media interpretation.**
The final page contained a signature line.
