"You're not taking evidence from him while we're trying to understand what happened."
Vanessa opened her mouth.
For a moment, she seemed ready to shout.
Then she stopped.
The doorbell rang.
Marcus's sister had arrived.
His sister entered the living room and immediately crouched beside Lily.
The little girl ran into her arms.
For several seconds, she clung to the older woman's shoulders.
Marcus watched from the doorway.
He remembered how his sister helped after his first wife's death.
How she cooked meals, folded laundry, and sat beside him during nights when Lily wouldn't stop asking why Mommy wasn't coming home.
Now she was here again.
But the situation was different.
His daughter wasn't grieving a loss she couldn't understand.
She had been living with an adult who deliberately made her feel unsafe.
Marcus's sister looked toward Mason.
The boy stood awkwardly beside the sofa.
She opened one arm.
"Come here, sweetheart."
He hesitated.
Then moved toward her.
She hugged him too.
For a moment, his shoulders shook.
Then he began crying.
Marcus looked away briefly, trying to steady himself.
Mason had spent weeks believing that telling the truth would destroy the family.
Now he'd finally spoken.
And the fear he'd been carrying seemed almost too large for his twelve-year-old body.
When the children settled, Marcus's sister took them into the family room.
She prepared a quiet activity, offered water, and made sure neither child was being questioned repeatedly.
Marcus appreciated that.
He wanted the children to feel safe before anyone asked them to describe painful experiences.
Then his sister returned to the kitchen.
She looked toward the pantry lock.
For several seconds, she remained still.
Then she turned toward Marcus.
"How long has that been there?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
She looked at him.
There was sadness in her eyes.
And a question she didn't need to ask aloud.
How had he missed it?
Marcus lowered his head.
"I should've known."
His sister touched his arm.
"You need to focus on what happens now."
He nodded.
She glanced toward the living room.
"Those children need you to be steady."
Marcus looked toward Mason.
The boy was helping Lily arrange colored blocks.
For a moment, the scene appeared ordinary.