Chapter 3 - The Permission Emma Never Gave
The child welfare investigator called the next morning while Emma was sitting at Megan’s breakfast table trying to convince Ellie to eat oatmeal.
The investigator’s name was Tasha Reynolds.
Her voice was neither suspicious nor comforting.
She explained that she needed to speak separately with Emma, Ben, and Linda and would likely contact Ellie’s pediatrician and daycare.
Emma glanced at Ellie.
“Her daycare?”
“We look at the child’s broader care environment when necessary.”
Emma agreed.
After the call, she sat with the phone still in her hand.
Megan poured coffee, then stopped.
“Sorry.”
Emma looked at the mug.
For a second, neither sister moved.
Then Emma exhaled.
“You can drink coffee.”
Megan put it down anyway.
“Are you going home?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think Ben would let Linda near Ellie right now?”
Emma wanted to say no.
Eight years of marriage told her Ben hated confrontation but wasn’t reckless.
The previous twenty-four hours told her she no longer knew what reckless looked like to him.
She called Ellie’s daycare before she could talk herself out of it.
Bright Steps Learning Center occupied a brick building beside a Lutheran church two miles from their house. Ellie had attended three days a week since Emma returned to full-time work.
The director, Carla Nguyen, knew Emma by voice.
“I heard there was an incident,” Carla said carefully.
Emma’s stomach tightened.
“From whom?”
“Ben called this morning.”
Of course he had.
“What did he tell you?”
“That Ellie had a minor accident at home and there might be questions.”
Emma looked across the table at Megan.
“Carla, I need to change Ellie’s pickup permissions.”
A pause.
“Okay.”
“Remove Linda Mercer.”
Another pause.
“She’s already authorized.”
Emma stopped.
“No, she isn’t.”
“I’m looking at the form.”
“When was she added?”
Keyboard clicks.
“February twelfth.”
Four months earlier.
“By whom?”
“The digital authorization came from Ben’s parent account.”
Emma closed her eyes.
Ben had told her Linda only picked Ellie up when Emma asked.
Twice, Emma had asked.
Apparently Linda had been authorized every day since February.
“Can you tell me how often she’s picked Ellie up?”
“I can give you the sign-out records. There have been several.”
“How many?”
Carla hesitated.
“Enough that I think you should see the log.”
Emma felt her throat tighten.
Carla continued.
“There were also two notes from staff.”
“What kind of notes?”
“One was about Ellie being distressed at pickup. Nothing reportable. Just something her teacher documented.”
“And the other?”
Carla took a breath.
“Linda told one of the teachers you were having what she called ‘one of your episodes,’ and that she might be handling pickups more often.”
Emma’s hand went cold around the phone.
“What episodes?”
“I don’t know.”
Neither did Emma.
Not officially.
She had struggled after Ellie was born.
Sleeplessness. Anxiety. One bad stretch when she checked the baby monitor so often Ben finally begged her to sleep in the guest room while he took the night shift.
She had seen a therapist for six months.
She had never hurt Ellie.
Never threatened anyone.
Never been hospitalized.
By the time Ellie turned one, Emma had been doing well for months.
Linda knew that history.
Apparently Linda also had a name for it.
Episodes.
“Carla, please remove Linda today.”
“Done.”
“And nobody besides Ben or me picks Ellie up without speaking directly to me.”
Carla was quiet.
“I can flag the account, but Ben is also a legal parent. If you want a restriction against him authorizing someone, we would need an applicable court order or safety directive.”
Reality landed hard.
Emma could protect Ellie from Linda only up to the edge of Ben’s parental rights.
After the call, Emma checked her messages.
Three from Ben.
Can we talk?
Mom is devastated.
Please stop involving other people until we figure this out.
Emma typed a reply.
Did you authorize your mother to pick Ellie up whenever she wanted?
The bubbles appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Finally:
It made scheduling easier.
Emma stared at the sentence.
He had not forgotten to tell her.
He had chosen not to.
She called Rachel.
Ben’s sister answered on the fourth ring.
“Emma, I’m at work.”
“I need one answer.”
Rachel went quiet.
“Did you know Linda had been picking Ellie up from daycare?”
Another silence.
Longer.
“Rachel?”
“I thought you knew.”
May you like
Emma stood slowly.
“What else did you think I knew?”
