Chapter 4 - Sanctuary in the Dark
At the regional hospital, the pediatric doctors examined Brody while Skylar held his hand. Aside from mild dehydration and a few minor bruises on his arms from being crammed into the Cadillac trunk, he was physically uninjured. But the emotional wounds ran deep.
Every time a nurse entered the room, Brody flinched and hid behind my back.
While the kids ate warm soup in their hospital beds, Agent Rivera stepped into the hallway to brief me on the investigation.
"We executed a search warrant on Dorothy Vance’s primary residence and her phone records," Rivera said, his expression grim. "Jenna, this wasn't an impulse. She had been planning this for months."
"Why?" I asked, my knuckles white as I gripped the hallway railing. "Why would she do this to her own grandson?"
"Control," Rivera replied flatly. "And custody. We found draft court documents in her home office. She was preparing to file for full emergency custody of both Brody and Skylar, citing your 'severe mental instability.' She had recorded cut-together audio snippets of you venting, saved your prescription history, and bribed a family counselor to write a false evaluation."
I covered my mouth with my hand. "She wanted to take my children from me permanently."
"She knew that if Brody went missing while under your sole supervision at the party, and if Philip backed her story, you would be indicted for endangerment or worse. Once you were in prison or a facility, Philip would get full custody—which meant she would control the kids, the family trust fund, and Philip."
"And Philip went along with it," I said softly, the realization cutting through me like a razor blade.
"Philip is currently being questioned in room three downstairs," Rivera said. "He claims he didn't know about the trunk or the boathouse. He says his mother convinced him that you were planning to flee the state with the kids, and that he needed to play along with her story to keep the kids safe until the FBI arrived."
"He chose her," I said coldly. "He chose his mother over his wife and children."
"He's waiting down the hall," Rivera said gently. "He's begging to see you and the kids."
May you like
I looked back into the hospital room through the glass window. Skylar was whispering a story to Brody, making him smile for the first time all day. I felt a cold, unshakeable strength rise inside me. The weak, anxious woman Dorothy and Philip had tried to grind into dust was gone.
"Tell him to leave," I told Rivera. "If he steps near my children, I will have him arrested for harassment."
