Chapter 3: The Bench
Chapter 3: The Bench
Investigators returned to Evan's house the following morning.
Thomas couldn't stop thinking about one detail.
The bench near the foot of the bed.
It hadn't looked right.
Crime scene technicians examined it closely.
One leg was cracked.
Fresh fibers from Claire's nightdress were caught beneath the edge.
Blood too small to notice with the naked eye was discovered inside one corner.
The reconstruction revealed what likely happened.
Claire had tried to leave the room.
Evan blocked the doorway.
During the struggle, she fell against the wooden bench before collapsing onto the floor.
The bedroom had not been the scene of one accident.
It had been the scene of many.
Further examination uncovered repaired damage on the walls, replaced furniture, and security cameras that conveniently stopped recording inside the second-floor hallway.
Detectives also recovered deleted text messages.
One stood out.
From Claire to her closest friend three months earlier:
If anything ever happens to me, please tell my dad I really did try to leave.
Thomas read the message in silence.
Then folded the printed page with military precision.
May you like
His hands never shook.
His eyes did.
