PART 4 — Mark Came Home Early
At 3:17 a.m., the front door opened.
Mark had returned from Chicago.
He stopped cold when he saw the police cars outside.
Detective Ramirez met him in the foyer.
“Mr. Sullivan, we need to ask you some questions.”
Mark’s eyes found mine.
For a moment, the polite mask slipped.
I saw pure fury.
“You called the police?”
I didn’t answer.
Ethan pressed himself against my side.
Mark noticed.
“Ethan, come here.”
The boy flinched.
Detective Ramirez stepped between them.
“No.”
Mark tried to laugh.
“This is a misunderstanding. I installed cameras because Emily travels and I wanted the house protected.”
Ramirez held up a printed photograph.
It showed the hidden camera from Ethan’s room.
“Explain this one.”
Mark’s expression tightened.
“I can explain everything.”
Then another officer emerged from the basement carrying a hard drive.
“Detective, you should hear this.”
He played a short audio clip.
Mark’s voice filled the room.
“If you tell Emily, I’ll make sure you never see her again.”
Ethan buried his face against my shoulder.
May you like
Mark went pale.
For the first time since I’d known him, he had nothing to say.
