Chapter 6 - THE HOUSE GOES QUIET
Police reached my parents’ house twelve minutes after I called Bennett.
Robert was gone.
His truck remained in the driveway. His wallet and primary phone were inside the home. A rear gate stood open.
Diane told officers she had not called me and claimed she spent the afternoon sleeping.
The call had come from a prepaid device registered under false information.
Officers found no phone on her.
They also found no luggage missing, according to Diane.
That did not establish whether Robert fled, left voluntarily for a short period, or had help.
The prosecutor sought a warrant authorizing a targeted search for the missing key, surveillance equipment, evidence connected to its removal, and records linked to locker 417.
The house was not torn apart based on my suspicions alone.
Investigators documented the empty camera mount, wiring, recorder shelf, home office, and devices. They collected Robert’s laptop, Diane’s tablet, a digital video recorder found behind boxes in the attic, and a paper bag containing the missing patio camera.
The key was not located.
The recorder’s storage drive had been removed.
The camera’s internal memory card had been snapped in half.
Damage did not necessarily make data unrecoverable. Both pieces were packaged and sent for forensic examination.
Diane’s tablet logs showed that someone accessed the camera system seven minutes after my 911 call. The user deleted the patio recording and then attempted a factory reset.
The account belonged to Diane.
She said Robert knew her password.
Robert was visible in neighbors’ recordings near the grill during part of that period.
Travis had gone inside twice.
Vanessa had remained on the patio until officers separated her.
The logs narrowed time.
They did not identify the hands holding the tablet.
Travis arrived at the house while police were still executing the warrant.
He shouted that the search was illegal and attempted to enter through the side gate. An officer stopped him and explained that a judge had authorized the search.
“You people are doing this because Rebecca knows the prosecutor,” he said.
Bennett later included the accusation in her report rather than pretending it had not been made. The prosecutor’s office assigned the case to a neighboring county to avoid the appearance that my former relationships influenced charging decisions.
That separation protected the investigation and me.
It also meant I had no informal access to decisions.
Vanessa remained jailed because her attorney had not yet secured an approved residence meeting the no-contact conditions. Robert and Diane’s home was not acceptable while Caleb’s abuse allegations were being investigated.
Her lawyer requested a bond review.
At the hearing, Vanessa appeared in a plain jail uniform. She looked smaller than I remembered.
Her attorney argued that she had no prior criminal history, had strong community ties, and could reside with a family friend. The prosecutor emphasized Lily’s age, the deliberate nature of the act alleged, the recorded statements, and potential interference with Caleb.
The judge approved release to electronic monitoring at a verified address, prohibited all contact with Lily and me, and allowed communication with Caleb only through procedures established by the family court.
Vanessa looked toward me as deputies led her away.
Her lips formed two words.
Not sorry.
Find him.
I did not know whether she meant Robert, Michael, or Caleb.
That night, James checked every door before bed.
Lily slept between us with a dressing along her neck and shoulder. The burn clinic had confirmed that most of the injury was healing as expected, though one deeper area remained concerning.
She had begun waking whenever she smelled coffee.
At 2:13 a.m., our home alarm sounded.
A side window had shattered.
James moved us into the bathroom and called 911. We did not go downstairs.
Patrol officers arrived within minutes.
No intruder was found inside.
On the kitchen floor lay a brick wrapped in a page from an old newspaper.
The headline concerned the Hutchinson Industrial fire.
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Across the article, someone had written:
MICHAEL SURVIVED BECAUSE REBECCA CHOSE THE WRONG BODY.
