Detective Carter stopped the video.
"There's something else."
He played audio from a different camera.
A neighbor's security system.
At 10:58 p.m., someone could be heard shouting.
Then Ethan screamed.
Then silence.
At 11:08 p.m., my mother and Chloe appeared in the neighbor's footage.
They were carrying something.
A blanket.
Inside it was Ethan.
My hands shook.
"Why didn't they call an ambulance?"
"They didn't."
"Who did?"
"A neighbor."
The detective leaned forward.
"Mrs.
Mitchell, there's another issue."
"What?"
"We found a second phone inside the shed."
"Whose?"
"Your sister's."
I stared at him.
"Why would Chloe leave her phone there?"
"We don't know."
"Can you access it?"
"We obtained a warrant."
"And?"
He looked at me.
"There were dozens of deleted messages."
My heart pounded.
"To whom?"
"Your mother."
I whispered:
"What were they saying?"
Detective Carter opened his notebook.
"They were discussing Ethan."
My stomach turned.
"Why?"
"We don't know yet."
Then he said something that changed the entire investigation.
"Some messages mention a man named Victor."
I frowned.
"Victor who?"
"We're still identifying him."
"Was he involved?"
"We don't know."
I stared at the hospital window.
There was something bigger happening.
Something my mother had hidden from me.
Something involving my son.
And someone named Victor.
The next morning, Ethan woke again.
This time, he was more alert.
I sat beside him.
"Hi, baby."
He looked at me.
"Mommy."
I smiled through tears.
"I'm here."
He stared toward the door.
"Is Grandma here?"
"No."
His shoulders relaxed.
I gently squeezed his hand.
"You're safe."
He was silent.
Then he asked:
"Did they find the bad man?"
I froze.
"What bad man?"
Ethan looked at me.
"The man Grandma talks to."
My heart stopped.
"What man?"
He whispered:
"Victor."
Detective Carter, who had been standing near the doorway, immediately stepped inside.
"Ethan," he said gently, "do you know Victor?"
Ethan nodded.
"He's the man who comes at night."
My skin prickled.
"Where?"
"The shed."
Detective Carter exchanged a look with me.
"What does he do?"
Ethan looked frightened.
