Chapter 9 - What Lauren Tried to Remove Before Monday
Grant told the caseworker about the storage unit.
He was careful.
“I don’t know what’s there.”
That mattered.
He had no evidence that the unit contained anything related to Madison.
He only knew Lauren suddenly wanted it emptied before the scheduled home visit.
The caseworker wrote it down.
“Do not go searching for evidence,” she said. “If it becomes relevant, we’ll handle it through the appropriate process.”
Grant agreed.
That weekend, he stayed at Nathan’s.
Madison began sleeping through most of the night.
She still asked the same question every morning.
“Are you going to work?”
Grant had taken several personal days.
“Not today.”
On Sunday, she asked, “When you do work, where do I go?”
That question told him what safety meant to her now.
Not doors.
Not locks.
Predictability.
He sat beside her at the kitchen table.
“You’ll know where you’re going.”
“School?”
“If you want to go back.”
Madison thought seriously.
“Miss Becky has crackers.”
Grant smiled despite everything.
“Yes, she does.”
Then Madison added, “Mommy Lauren said Miss Becky was trying to steal me.”
Grant stopped smiling.
“When did she say that?”
Madison dipped one cracker in milk.
“When I talked.”
“Talked about what?”
Madison shrugged.
Grant did not push.
Dr. Patel had warned him repeatedly not to conduct his own interviews.
So he wrote the sentence down exactly as Madison had said it and sent it to the caseworker.
Monday morning, CPS met Grant at the house.
Lauren’s attorney was also present.
That surprised Grant but did not bother him.
Lauren had every right to representation.
The caseworker examined the closet.
She documented the inside knob cover.
She asked Lauren questions.
Grant stayed out of the conversation unless addressed.
Then the caseworker asked about childcare.
Lauren repeated the separation-anxiety explanation.
She said Madison became overwhelmed at Little Oaks.
The caseworker asked why the school disagreed.
Lauren said the staff did not understand Madison at home.
Then the caseworker asked a simple question.
“Why did you withdraw her one day after the school requested a meeting about her statements?”
Lauren’s attorney looked at her.
Grant noticed.
Apparently, even the attorney had not heard that detail.
Lauren said, “The timing wasn’t intentional.”
The caseworker asked about the storage unit.
Lauren’s face changed.
“What storage unit?”
Grant watched her attorney turn toward her again.
That was the wrong answer.
Lauren had been paying for the unit for months.
The caseworker showed her the address Grant had provided.
Lauren corrected herself.
“Oh. That storage unit.”
She explained it held household belongings.
The caseworker asked why she tried to close it before the visit.
Lauren said she was reducing expenses.
Again, possible.
Again, not proof.
But her attorney asked for a private break.
Grant stepped onto the porch.
Twenty minutes later, the attorney left.
Lauren remained inside.
When Grant returned, the caseworker approached him quietly.
“She has agreed to remain elsewhere while we continue the safety assessment.”
“Did she say why?”
“No.”
Grant looked toward Lauren.
She was packing an overnight bag.
For the first time, she didn’t look furious.
She looked afraid.
Before leaving, she walked close enough that only Grant could hear.
“You think Claire is helping you?”
Grant said nothing.
Lauren continued.
“She’s the reason any of this started.”
Then she walked out.
Grant watched the car disappear.
It was exactly the kind of sentence designed to create suspicion.
He knew that.
But later that afternoon, Claire called him crying.
“I need to tell you what’s in the storage unit.”
May you like
Grant did not interrupt.
Claire said, “And you’re going to hate me more when I do.”
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