Chapter 1: The House of Secrets
Chapter 1: The House of Secrets
The next morning, detectives obtained a search warrant for Reena's house.
Peter stood outside with Child Protective Services while officers entered.
At first glance, everything looked ordinary.
Fresh flowers on the kitchen table.
Clean countertops.
Family photographs carefully arranged in silver frames.
It looked like the home of a loving mother.
Then an officer opened the basement door.
A heavy steel deadbolt had been installed on the outside.
Not the inside.
The outside.
The basement itself was nearly empty except for an old mattress, a bucket, and two thin blankets.
There were no toys.
No books.
No windows large enough to climb through.
Just one dim lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.
On the wall, detectives found small pencil marks.
Dates.
Short lines.
Someone had been counting the days.
Near the corner sat two plastic bowls with dried food stuck to the bottom.
One detective quietly whispered,
"They were living down here."
Then a crime scene investigator noticed something else.
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A surveillance camera hidden above the basement stairs.
Someone had been watching the children.
