Chapter 3 - The Panicked Husband
Hannah stood up slowly, still holding Lily tightly against her hip.
She stared at the brass padlock in pure, breathless confusion. Derek had never locked the basement before. It was just a storage area for old furniture and holiday decorations.
"I don't know," Hannah replied, her voice shaking with profound dread.
Officer Bell didn't hesitate. He was a seasoned veteran, and he knew a padlocked interior door in a filthy house with a neglected child was a massive, terrifying red flag. He walked back out to his cruiser and returned thirty seconds later carrying a heavy pair of steel bolt cutters.
As the officer approached the door, Hannah’s smartphone suddenly began to ring aggressively in her pocket.
It was Derek.
Hannah’s strong jaw clenched. She answered the phone, immediately putting it on speakerphone and holding it up so the police officer could hear every single word.
"Hannah!" Derek’s voice screamed over the speakerphone, completely unhinged and dripping with sheer, unadulterated panic. "The security cameras showed you pulling in! You're home early!"
"Where are you, Derek?" Hannah demanded lethally, entirely devoid of human empathy for the man who had abandoned their daughter in a pile of garbage. "And why is the basement locked?"
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"Hannah, listen to me!" Derek shrieked like a feral coward. "Do not let the cops into the basement! Tell them you lost the key! Do not let them search the house!"
👉 How will the furious mother and the police officer react to the demand?
