Chapter 4 - The Depths of Elm Street
The investigation unfolded with terrifying speed. By midnight, the precinct called me in for an official statement while my sister sat with Maya at the hospital.
When I stepped into the station, Detective Miller met me in the hallway. Her face was pale. “We secured the house, David. Julian tried to flee out the back alley, but officers intercepted him two blocks away. He’s in custody.”
“And the pool?” I asked, though deep down, I already knew the answer.
Miller took a deep breath. “The forensic team drained it an hour ago. We recovered three weighted plastic contractor bags from the bottom.” She paused, offering a look of profound sympathy. “I am so sorry, David. Elena is inside one of them. The autopsy is pending, but it appears she suffered severe blunt-force trauma.”
A hollow, crushing weight settled onto my chest. Elena and I had our differences—our marriage had dissolved under the weight of petty arguments and growing coldness—but she was the mother of my child. She had tried to protect Maya in her final moments, and Julian had murdered her in cold blood to cover up his financial fraud and abusive double life.
“What was in the other bags?” I asked, my voice barely audible.
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“Financial documents, forged passports, and stolen jewelry,” Miller replied. “Julian was planning to liquidate Elena’s assets and flee the country. Maya was the only witness. He kept her in that cage while he tried to figure out how to dispose of her without raising immediate suspicion from her school.”
The sheer monstrousness of it made me nauseous. He hadn't just mistreated Maya; he was calculating how to erase my daughter entirely.
