Chapter 26
Then she clicked the heavy padlock shut. She gave it a yank to test it. Perfect. She dusted her hands off. Now, let’s go. The taxi is here. And make sure you locked her bedroom door from the outside. I do not want her wandering around while we are gone. The video ended. The officer lowered the phone.
He looked at the black screen for a long moment. Then he looked up at Monica. His expression had changed completely. The professional detachment was gone. In its place was a look of pure, unadulterated disgust. It was the look you give to something you scrape off the bottom of your shoe. Is this real? He asked his voice, ‘Quiet and dangerous.
‘ Monica opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She looked around the room, searching for an ally, searching for anyone who would still believe her performance, but the audience had turned. The crowd of diners who had been ready to tackle me a minute ago were now staring at her with horror.
The mothers in the room were clutching their own children tighter. The sunburned man who had blocked my path stepped back from Austin as if he were contagious. ‘You locked a kid in a house,’ the sunburned man said. His voice broke the silence. ‘You chained the fridge.’ It was out of context. Monica screeched.
Her voice was high and desperate, cracking under the strain. ‘You do not understand. She has food issues. The doctor said we have to control her intake. It was for her own good. Liar. The word came from a woman at a nearby table. She stood up shaking with rage. I am a pediatrician. There is no doctor on earth who prescribes a padlock and a loaf of bread for an 8-year-old.
You are a monster. Yeah, shame on you. Another voice shouted. Call the police. Someone else yelled. The room erupted. The murmurss turned into a roar of condemnation. Phones were raised again, but this time they were not recording a crazy old man. They were recording a child abuser.
They were documenting the fall of the perfect family. Austin shrank back against the window. He looked like he wanted to jump into the ocean. He pulled at his collar, sweating profusely. Dad, he whispered. Dad, make them stop. You made your choice, Austin, I said. I told you. I told you I would handle it. The officer spoke into his radio.