Chapter 6: The Truth Behind the Locked Door
Ms. Alvarez placed a photograph on the kitchen table.
It showed the yellow-curtained room from Avery's childhood home. The walls were bare now, and the wooden storage chest stood beneath the window, its corners worn from years of use.
Avery stared at the photograph without touching it.
"Is this the room you remember?"" Ms. Alvarez asked.
Avery nodded.
"Can you tell me what you remember about that night?""
The little girl pulled the sleeves of her cardigan over her hands.
"Mom said I had to go to sleep.""
Ms. Alvarez kept her voice gentle.
"Did you want to go to sleep?""
"No. I wanted Daddy.""
Across the table, Damon lowered his eyes.
He had promised Richard he wouldn't interrupt Avery's interview, no matter how painful it became. Now he sat beside Keisha, listening to his daughter describe a night he could barely remember.
Ms. Alvarez nodded.
"What happened when you asked for your daddy?""
"Mom got mad. She said he was tired and I was making everything worse.""
Avery picked at a loose thread on her sleeve.
"Then she gave me a little cup.""
"What was in the cup?""
"I don't know. It tasted funny.""
"Did she tell you what it was?""
Avery shook her head.
"She said it would help me sleep.""
Damon felt Keisha's hand close around his.
Ms. Alvarez wrote something in her notebook.
"Did you drink it?""
"A little.""
"What happened afterward?""
Avery looked toward the hallway.
"I got sleepy, but my tummy felt funny. I wanted to go downstairs.""
"And did you?""
Avery shook her head again.
"Mom said I had to stay in my room. She shut the door.""
Her voice became thinner.
"I tried to open it, but it was locked.""
Keisha pressed her lips together.
Ms. Alvarez waited until Avery looked at her again.
"What happened next?""
"I cried. Then Mom came back.""
"Was she alone?""
"No. Daddy was there.""
Damon closed his eyes.
Avery continued.
"Daddy was holding the wall. He looked like he was going to fall down.""
Damon remembered the sleeping pills. The whiskey. The exhaustion that had made the world feel as though it were tilting beneath his feet.
But he could not tell whether Avery's memory was accurate or whether his own fear was filling in the gaps.
Ms. Alvarez asked, "Did your father come into the room?""
"Yes.""
"What did he do?""
Avery rubbed her eyes.
"He sat on the floor. I crawled to him.""
Damon's breath caught.
"I told him I was scared.""
"What did he say?""
"He told me he was sorry.""
Avery looked directly at him.
"He smelled funny. Like the medicine in the bathroom.""
Damon swallowed.
"And then?""
"Mom said he needed to go downstairs. She said he wasn't feeling well.""
Avery paused.
"Daddy told her not to give me the medicine anymore.""
Damon gripped the edge of the chair.
"Then he went away," Avery whispered.
Ms. Alvarez allowed several seconds to pass.
"Do you remember anything else?""
Avery nodded slowly.
"Mom was angry after Daddy left. She said he always ruined everything.""
"What happened when she got angry?""
Avery's fingers disappeared beneath her sleeves.
"She grabbed my arm.""
Damon felt Keisha stiffen beside him.
"Can you tell me what happened next?"" Ms. Alvarez asked.
"I tried to get away. I fell against the chest.""
Avery pointed at the photograph.
"Right there.""
Nobody spoke.
Then Avery added something that made the room feel suddenly colder.
"Mom told me not to tell the doctor.""
Ms. Alvarez closed her notebook.
"Thank you for telling me, Avery. You've done nothing wrong. We're going to take this one step at a time.""
Avery looked uncertain.
"Am I going to have to go back there?""
"We're going to work with the court to make sure the adults responsible for your safety have the information they need.""
"That's not what I asked.""
Ms. Alvarez's expression softened.
"I understand, sweetheart. Right now, you will remain in your current temporary arrangement while we investigate. If anything changes, the adults responsible for your case will explain it to you.""
Avery nodded, but her shoulders remained tense.
After the interview, Ms. Alvarez asked Damon and Keisha to meet her in the dining room.
She closed the door.
"The child's account raises serious concerns," she said.
"However, we need corroborating evidence before we can draw conclusions about what happened or who was responsible.""
Damon stared at her.
"She said Monique gave her something to make her sleep.""
"Yes. We need to identify the substance, if possible. We also need to establish what happened at the hospital and whether the original medical record contains additional information.""
"Can you get the prescription records?""
"With the appropriate authorization, we can request relevant records. Your attorney should also obtain the hospital's complete file.""
Keisha leaned forward.
"What about Dr. Foster?""
Ms. Alvarez glanced at Richard, who had joined them after the interview.
"Mr. Cole has contacted her through the appropriate channels. She has agreed to speak with him.""
Damon looked up sharply.
"When?""
"Tomorrow morning.""
He rubbed his face.
"Why didn't she contact us before?""
"We don't know what she remembers or what information she was permitted to share. Let's hear what she has to say.""
Richard gathered his papers.
"There's something else. The court has received notice that Monique intends to challenge the temporary custody arrangement.""
Damon laughed once without humor.
"Of course she does.""
"She is entitled to contest it," Richard replied.
"But the investigation will proceed independently of either parent's wishes.""
When Ms. Alvarez left, Damon went into the living room.
Avery sat beside the window, drawing a house with a purple roof.
He lowered himself into the chair opposite her.
"That's a pretty house.""
She kept drawing.
"It's got a big kitchen.""
"Does it?""
"And two bedrooms.""
Damon smiled faintly.
"Who's going to live there?""
Avery considered the question.
"Me and Keisha.""
He felt the answer in his chest, but he nodded.
"That sounds nice.""
Avery looked up.
"Are you coming too?""
Damon's eyes burned.
"If you want me there.""
She looked back at the paper.
"I want you there when you're awake.""
He sat very still.
"I understand.""
"No, Daddy. I don't think you do.""
She set down her pencil.
"When I was little, I used to wait for you. Mom said you were busy. Sometimes she said you didn't want to see me. But when you came, you were always tired.""
Damon swallowed.
"I know I wasn't there enough.""
"Sometimes you were there, but you weren't really there.""
He had no words.
Avery picked up her purple pencil again.
"I don't want that anymore.""
He nodded slowly.
"Neither do I.""
That evening, Richard called with an update.
Dr. Foster had confirmed the hospital visit. She also remembered a disagreement between Damon and Monique in the examination room, although she could not yet provide the details without reviewing her contemporaneous notes.
More importantly, she remembered that Damon had appeared heavily sedated.
"Did she say I was drunk?"" Damon asked.
"She said you were unsteady and confused," Richard replied.
"She couldn't determine the cause at the time.""
"What about Avery?""
"She remembered that Avery was frightened of her mother.""
Damon closed his eyes.
"Can she prove Monique gave her something?""
"Not yet.""
After the call, Damon walked upstairs and opened the storage box containing his old prescription bottles.
Most were empty.
One small bottle remained, its label faded but legible.
The prescription had been filled two days before the hospital visit.
He turned the bottle over.
Inside was a folded pharmacy receipt.
On the back, in Monique's handwriting, were three words.
*Take two tonight.*
Damon stared at them.
He had no memory of seeing that instruction.
He photographed the bottle, placed it in a clean evidence bag supplied by Richard, and sent his attorney the picture.
Then his phone rang.
The caller ID showed Monique's name.
He almost let it go to voicemail.
Instead, he answered.
"What do you want?""
Her voice was sharp.
"I heard you had a social worker questioning Avery.""
"She's investigating what happened.""
"You have no right to let strangers interrogate my daughter.""
"She's being interviewed by a trained professional.""
"Because you and your wife have filled her head with lies.""
Damon tightened his grip on the phone.
"Did you give Avery something to make her sleep that night?""
Silence.
Then Monique laughed.
"What kind of ridiculous question is that?""
"Avery remembers a cup. She remembers the locked door. She remembers the hospital.""
"She's a child. Children remember things incorrectly.""
"Did you give her medicine?""
"She had trouble sleeping. I did what any mother would do.""
"What did you give her?""
"Ask your precious doctor.""
Damon went cold.
"Why would I ask Dr. Foster?""
Monique's breathing changed.
Only slightly.
But he heard it.
"Because she's the one who wrote the report," Monique snapped.
"She can explain what happened better than I can.""
"Then you'll have no problem telling the court the truth.""
Her voice dropped.
"You don't understand what you're doing, Damon.""
"Then explain it to me.""
"You'll destroy this family.""
He looked through the doorway at Avery, who was sitting beside Keisha on the couch.
"No," he said.
"I'm trying to understand what happened to our daughter.""
Monique hung up.
Damon stared at his phone.
A moment later, another message appeared from the unknown number.
This time, it contained a photograph.
It showed a prescription bottle on a bathroom counter.
The label had been removed.
Beneath the image were eight words.
*She wasn't the only one you were drugging.*
Damon's blood ran cold.
May you like
Because the bottle in the photograph wasn't his.
It belonged to Keisha.
