Chapter 7 - The Locked Nursery
The police arranged a supervised retrieval of essential belongings, but I was not permitted to go because I was still under observation.
Alex and Hannah met an officer at the property.
Trent's parents had already packed my clothes into trash bags and stacked them near the front door.
Nicole filmed the officer's arrival, claiming that the family was being harassed.
Alex refused to engage.
He went upstairs with the officer and found the nursery locked.
Richard insisted the room contained expensive family heirlooms and could not be opened without the homeowner's consent.
The officer reviewed the retrieval arrangement and called a supervisor.
Hannah documented every objection.
Eventually Trent authorized access through his attorney.
The room looked exactly like it did in the threatening photograph, except the stuffed rabbit had been placed in the center of the crib.
Under it lay a note.
“She belongs to us.” Alex photographed the note and left it untouched for investigators.
Later he found my prenatal records missing from the bedroom drawer where I kept them.
A search of the kitchen paperwork uncovered bills showing that Trent had been transferring money out of our joint account for months.
The transfers went to a limited-liability company named Mercer Family Holdings.
I'd heard Richard mention it, but I believed it was a small property venture.
Hannah identified it as something they would need to investigate, not something we could assume was criminal.
At the hospital, my physician finally said I could be discharged with strict precautions and follow-up monitoring.
I chose to stay at a confidential short-term location coordinated with the victim advocate rather than at Alex's house, which Trent knew.
Alex looked hurt for half a second, then nodded.
“You're right,” he said.
“He'd look for you with me.” That was the difference between my brother and my husband.
Alex could be frightened and still respect my choices.
Before I left, Patrice brought a sealed envelope that had arrived at the nurses' station.
There was no return address.
Inside was a photograph of a much younger Trent standing beside a different woman.
She was visibly pregnant.
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On the back, someone had written: “Ask what happened to Claire.”
