Chapter 8 - THE DEEP CLEAN
Why request a deep clean while Sophie was locked upstairs?
At first, it seemed irrational.
Then Columbia Fiduciary produced an email.
Upcoming Child Beneficiary Residence Review.
Scheduled:
June 11.
Seven days after Rosa found Sophie.
A trust advocate planned to meet Sophie at the Portland residence for the first time.
Dennis had spent four years claiming Sophie lived there.
Schooling listed as private home education.
Caregiver invoices.
Bedroom expenses.
Food.
Therapy.
Rent.
The house needed to look like a child lived there.
Dennis planned to return from Hawaii June 9.
He had two days to transform one of the guest rooms.
Police found unopened boxes in the garage.
Pink bedding.
Children’s books.
A desk.
New clothes with tags.
Family photographs in frames.
One showed Sophie digitally inserted beside Dennis at a Christmas tree.
Not a sophisticated fake.
Enough for staged decor.
The deep clean was preparation for an inspection.
May you like
Sophie was evidence he needed alive.
But while he vacationed, he needed her invisible.
