PART2
Those words became Claire’s anchor. At the Brookhaven Police Department, she repeated the story to Officer Jenkins while Mark sat beside Ava in the lobby with a vending machine hot chocolate. Claire showed the photos from the salon, Daniel’s messages, the pediatrician’s written report, and Marisol’s incident note. She gave names, dates, times, and every detail Ava had shared. The officer’s expression grew darker with each piece.
Because Ava was a minor, child protective services was contacted immediately. Claire expected the process to feel cold, but the caseworker who arrived, Denise Harper, spoke to Ava with patience and explained everything before asking any question. Ava clung to Claire’s sleeve through most of it. When Denise asked what Daniel had accused her of stealing, Ava whispered, “His watch.” Then she added something that made Claire’s blood turn cold. “But I saw it later. It was in his car cup holder.”
Claire’s head snapped up. “You saw the watch after he did this?” Ava nodded. “The next morning. He was driving me to school. It was in the cup holder with coffee coins.” Daniel had known Ava was innocent. Or worse, the watch had never really been missing at all. The accusation had only been a reason he could use.
