Chapter 2: The Basement Switch
Officer Daniels asked me to step into the hallway.
I looked at Toby.
“Stay with the nurse, okay? I'll be right outside.””
He grabbed my sleeve.
“Don't leave me like Mom did.””
Those words hurt more than anything I'd heard that night.
“I won't,” I whispered.
“I promise.””
The officer led me toward a small consultation room.
He closed the door and placed a folder on the table.
“Your mother owns the house?””
“Yes. It belonged to my father before he died.””
“And Richard Hale has access?””
“He has a key. He's been staying there regularly.””
Daniels nodded.
“Do you know anything about the electrical system in the basement?””
“No. Why?””
He opened the folder.
“Your brother mentioned a switch. We found the main electrical panel in the basement. Someone had deliberately disconnected the circuit supplying power to the furnace.””
I stared at him.
“Couldn't it have been an accident?””
“Not according to our preliminary examination.””
He showed me photographs.
One showed the electrical panel.
A second showed a disconnected wire.
The third showed a small electronic device attached near the furnace controls.
“What is that?””
“We're still examining it. It appears to be an aftermarket control device. Someone may have used it to interfere with the heating system.””
I felt sick.
“Who installed it?””
“That is what we're investigating.””
He turned another page.
“There's something else.””
He placed a photograph in front of me.
It showed Richard standing beside our house.
The timestamp read 4:37 p.m.
I recognized his black SUV immediately.
“What am I looking at?””
“Your neighbor's security camera recorded this yesterday afternoon.””
“But Mom said they left town in the morning.””
“According to her initial statement, yes.””
He turned the photograph slightly.
“However, the footage shows Mr. Hale entering your house at 4:37 p.m. He remained inside for approximately twenty-three minutes.””
My throat tightened.
“Did he leave alone?””
“Yes.””
“Did he take anything?””
“We're reviewing additional footage.””
I leaned back.
“Why would he return after they left?””
Daniels didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he pulled out another document.
“This was recovered from a filing cabinet in your mother's bedroom.””
I looked down.
It was an insurance policy.
The names Liam Parker and Leo Parker appeared near the top.
I read the amount twice.
One million five hundred thousand dollars.
“That's life insurance?””
“Yes.””
“Who purchased it?””
“Your mother. The policy was issued two weeks ago.””
I felt the room tilt.
“And the beneficiary?””
Daniels pointed to the bottom of the page.
My mother's name appeared beside Richard's.
They would receive the money if something happened to the babies.
I pushed the paper away.
“That's impossible.””
“Why?””
“Because Mom wouldn't hurt her own children.””
The officer watched me carefully.
“Miss Parker, I understand this is difficult. But we also found a separate policy connected to your brother Toby.””
I stopped breathing.
“What?””
He turned another page.
The same insurance company.
Another policy.
Another beneficiary arrangement.
My mother's signature.
Richard's name.
I stood so abruptly that my chair scraped against the floor.
“They insured all three children?””
“That's what the documents indicate.””
I covered my mouth.
“Why?””
“That's one of the questions we're trying to answer.””
I thought about Toby's trembling voice.
His bare feet.
His tiny brothers wrapped in a sweater.
Then I remembered something.
“Officer, my father had a safe in the basement.””
Daniels looked up.
“Where?””
“Behind the old storage shelves. He kept important papers there. Mom told us not to touch it after he died.””
“Was it locked?””
“Yes. My father never gave Mom the combination. He told me once that it contained documents she wasn't supposed to have.””
The officer exchanged a glance with the investigator sitting near the door.
“What kind of documents?””
“I don't know. I was seventeen. I never asked.””
Daniels closed the folder.
“We found a safe.””
My pulse quickened.
“Did you open it?””
“Not yet.””
“Why?””
“Because we found something else in front of it.””
He hesitated.
“Something that may explain why Mr. Hale returned to the house.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“A section of the basement wall appears to have been recently disturbed. There are fresh tool marks, and the concrete behind the storage shelves has been damaged.””
My hands started shaking.
“What was behind the wall?””
“We haven't completed the examination.””
He stood.
“There's another matter. Your mother has contacted the police station and is demanding to speak with you.””
I almost laughed.
“She didn't even ask if the babies were alive.””
Daniels looked uncomfortable.
“Actually, she has been asking about the basement.””
My stomach twisted.
“Not about Toby?””
“Not initially.””
I walked back into the hospital room.
Toby was sitting beside the nurse, holding a paper cup of warm chocolate.
When he saw me, he immediately put it down.
“Are the twins okay?””
“They're still being treated.””
He nodded.
Then he looked at the police officer.
“Did you tell her about the box?””
I froze.
“What box, Toby?””
He looked frightened.
“The little black box Richard put behind the washing machine.””
Officer Daniels pulled a chair closer.
“What did the box look like?””
Toby rubbed his palms together.
“It had a red light. Richard told Mom it was something for the heater.””
“Did you ever touch it?””
“No. But I heard it making a clicking sound.””
“When?””
“Last night.””
I crouched beside him.
“What happened last night?””
Toby looked at the floor.
“I woke up because the babies were crying. I heard Mom talking to Richard on the phone.””
“What did she say?””
He swallowed.
“She said the house was too cold already.””
My stomach dropped.
“Then what?””
Toby's voice became barely audible.
“Richard told her to wait until morning.””
The nurse stopped moving.
Daniels slowly opened his notebook.
“Did you hear anything else?””
Toby nodded.
“He said something about the basement being ready.””
I felt my skin crawl.
“Ready for what?””
Toby began crying again.
“I don't know. But then Mom said something about Dad.””
I knelt in front of him.
“What about Dad?””
He looked straight into my eyes.
“She said, 'Once the children are gone, nobody will ever connect Richard to what happened to him.''”
The room became silent.
Officer Daniels closed his notebook.
Then his radio crackled.
He listened for several seconds before turning toward me.
“Miss Parker, we've just received an update from the investigators at your house.””
“What happened?””
“They opened the basement safe.””
“And?””
He looked toward Toby.
Then he lowered his voice.
“Your father left behind a document identifying someone he believed was responsible for his death.””
My mouth went dry.
“Who?””
Daniels didn't answer.
He simply turned his phone toward me.
On the screen was a scanned page.
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At the bottom, beneath my father's signature, were three handwritten words.
Richard Hale did it.
