Chapter 2 - The Alibi
The sterile, fluorescent hum of the emergency room felt like a different universe compared to the horrors of the suburban house. Lily was hooked up to an IV, severely dehydrated, malnourished, and suffering from a fractured rib. I sat in a plastic chair beside her bed, holding her hand while she finally fell into a medically induced, dreamless sleep.
Detective Vance, a weary-looking man in a crumpled suit, walked in. He smelled like stale coffee and cheap cigarettes.
"Mr. Miller," Vance said quietly, pulling up a chair. "I need to ask you some hard questions."
"Ask me anything," I replied, not taking my eyes off my daughter's bruised face.
"Marcus is claiming self-defense," Vance said, reading from a notepad. "He claims Rachel had a psychotic break. That she locked Lily in the cage. He says when he tried to intervene, Rachel attacked him with a kitchen knife, and he killed her in a panic. He’s claiming he panicked and hid the body because he was afraid the police wouldn't believe a man who killed his wife."
Rage, hot and blinding, flared in my chest. "He’s lying! He’s a psychopath. Look at what he did to my daughter!"
"I believe you, David," Vance sighed, rubbing his temples. "But Marcus comes from old money. His family has already retained the best defense lawyers in the state. They are spinning a narrative. They are going to paint Rachel as an abusive mother who snapped, and Marcus as a tragic victim of circumstance. And because you broke into the property, they are trying to get the cage evidence thrown out as an illegal search."
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My stomach dropped. "He murdered my ex-wife and tortured my daughter, and you're telling me a lawyer might get him out?"
"I'm telling you to be prepared," Vance said grimly. "This is going to be a bloodbath."
