Chapter 4 - Daddy Bear Was GoneDaniel left Sophie with hospital security and Officer Shaw.
He drove to the mansion with two deputies.
Margaret was sitting in the living room when they arrived.
She had changed clothes.
That bothered Daniel.
The dark-blue blouse she had worn by the lake was gone.
Now she wore a cream sweater.
Calm.
Clean.
Prepared.
“Where’s Sophie?” she asked.
“Safe.”
Margaret looked at the deputies.
“This is ridiculous.”
Daniel walked past her.
She stood.
“Where are you going?”
“Sophie’s room.”
“You need a warrant to search my house.”
Daniel stopped.
“Your house?”
Margaret lifted her chin.
“You know what I mean.”
“No.”
He looked around the mansion.
His father had left the property in a family trust.
Margaret had lifetime residence rights.
Daniel was trustee.
Sophie would eventually become co-beneficiary.
“This is not solely your house.”
Margaret followed him upstairs.
“What are you looking for?”
Daniel kept walking.
“Daddy Bear.”
She stopped.
Only for half a second.
Enough.
Daniel saw it.
He entered Sophie’s room.
The bed was made.
Books stacked.
Closet closed.
Daddy Bear normally sat beside Sophie’s pillow.
Gone.
Daniel turned.
“Where is it?”
Margaret folded her arms.
“I don’t know.”
“You were in here last night.”
“Sophie was hiding electronics.”
“Where is the bear?”
“I said I don’t know.”
Deputy Shaw stepped forward.
“Mrs. Whitmore, we can obtain a warrant.”
Margaret looked at Daniel.
“Do you really want police tearing apart the house your father built?”
Daniel stared.
“You pushed my daughter toward crocodiles.”
“For God’s sake.”
Margaret’s composure finally cracked.
“She fell.”
“Sophie says otherwise.”
“Sophie is eight.”
“That isn’t a synonym for stupid.”
Margaret’s mouth tightened.
Daniel moved toward the hallway.
“Search the house.”
One deputy began documenting rooms while Shaw called for additional authorization.
Daniel went downstairs.
Trash.
Laundry.
Garage.
Nothing.
Then he remembered the greenhouse.
The blue flower box.
Daniel ran outside.
The greenhouse stood near the east garden.
Claire had loved it.
Margaret hated gardening.
She called the greenhouse “Claire’s little jungle.”
Inside, sunlight cut through dusty glass.
Daniel found the blue wooden chest.
Open.
Gardening gloves.
Seed packets.
Old labels.
No recorder.
He searched underneath.
Empty.
Then he noticed fresh soil near the far wall.
A large planter had been moved.
Daniel crouched.
Something dark showed beneath loose dirt.
He dug with his hands.
Plastic.
A black trash bag.
Inside was Daddy Bear.
Its back had been cut open.
Daniel’s stomach dropped.
Stuffing spilled out.
No memory card.
No device.
Margaret knew where Sophie had hidden the copy.
Or had guessed.
Daniel carried the mutilated bear inside.
Margaret saw it.
Her face went pale.
“Explain.”
“I’ve never seen that.”
Daniel laughed.
“You expect me to believe you buried my daughter’s stuffed animal in Claire’s greenhouse?”
“I didn’t.”
“Who did?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“Was it Nolan?”
Margaret’s eyes flickered.
There.
“Nolan knows?”
“He knows nothing.”
“You called him last night.”
“So?”
“You found the recorder and immediately called the attorney who Claire approached before she died.”
Margaret lowered her voice.
“You are making connections that don’t exist.”
“Then give me the recorder.”
“I threw it away.”
Daniel stopped.
“Where?”
“I don’t remember.”
“You don’t remember where you disposed of evidence belonging to my dead wife less than twenty-four hours ago?”
“It wasn’t evidence.”
“Then why destroy it?”
“It was upsetting Sophie.”
Daniel almost shouted.
“She copied it because she knew you would take it!”
Margaret flinched.
Daniel held up Daddy Bear.
“And then someone cut open the one thing she sleeps with every night.”
Margaret stared at the damaged toy.
For the first time, she looked uncomfortable.
Not guilty.
Something closer to shame.
“You’ve turned her against me.”
Daniel’s voice became quiet.
“No.”
“She used to love staying here.”
“She used to be six.”
“You made me the villain because you need someone to blame.”
“For what?”
“Claire.”
The name landed between them.
Daniel stepped closer.
“What about Claire?”
Margaret looked away.
“She filled Sophie’s head with nonsense about this family.”
“Claire is dead.”
“And she’s still doing it.”
Daniel felt chilled.
Margaret hated Claire enough that eighteen months later she still spoke as though the dead woman were fighting her.
“What did Claire know?”
Margaret said nothing.
“What was on the recorder?”
“Nothing important.”
“Then why did Sophie nearly die today?”
Margaret’s jaw tightened.
“You think I tried to murder my own granddaughter over a recording?”
Daniel stared into her eyes.
“Yes.”
Margaret looked shocked.
Not because of the accusation.
Because Daniel finally said it aloud.
Behind them, Deputy Shaw entered.
“Mr. Whitmore.”
Daniel turned.
“We found something in the garage.”
On a workbench sat a small toolbox.
Inside were cutters.
Gloves.
And Sophie’s pink tablet.
The tablet had been smashed.
Daniel looked toward Margaret.
She whispered:
“I didn’t do that.”
Shaw held up a second item.
A small Wi-Fi control device.
Daniel recognized it immediately.
It belonged to the mansion’s security system.
“The lake camera,” he said.
Shaw nodded.
“It appears someone manually disconnected its transmitter.”
Margaret’s face changed.
Daniel looked at her.
“Still an accident?”
Before she could answer, Shaw’s phone rang.
She listened.
Then looked at Daniel.
“We have a problem.”
“What?”
“Nolan Pierce just reported a burglary at his office.”
Daniel frowned.
“What was taken?”
“Files connected to the Whitmore Foundation.”
Margaret closed her eyes.
Daniel saw it.
May you like
Relief.
Which meant whatever had been stolen from Nolan’s office was something Margaret wanted gone.
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