Chapter 3 - The Wiretap Protocol
By Wednesday afternoon, the legal machinery had snapped into motion.
Because Daniel was out of state, Detective Robert Vance from the Special Victims Unit took control of the criminal investigation. We met in a private conference room at the precinct downtown.
"We have enough from the medical report and Lily’s forensic interview to issue an arrest warrant for felony child endangerment and criminal abuse," Detective Vance explained, spreading out the case files. "But we want more. We want him on tape confirming the coercion, and we want to know what he knows about Sarah’s disappearance."
"How do we do that?" I asked.
Vance pulled out a recording device connected to my personal smartphone. "He’s going to call you. He always calls to check in around 6:00 PM. You are going to act normal. You are going to pretend everything is fine at home, but you’re going to drop subtle comments about Lily’s eating to see how he reacts."
"And if he suspects something?"
"He won't, as long as you keep your tone calm," Vance assured me. "He thinks he has total control over both of you."
At 6:12 PM, sitting in the precinct under the gaze of Vance and three technicians, my phone buzzed on the metal table.
Caller ID: Daniel.
Detective Vance hit the record button and gave me a sharp nod.
I took a breath, hit speaker, and steadied my voice. "Hello, Daniel."
"Hey, babe," Daniel’s smooth, relaxed voice filled the room. The casual intimacy of his tone made my skin crawl. "Just wrapped up the day's panel. How are things going back home? Is the little drama queen behaving herself?"
I looked at Vance, who gestured for me to proceed.
"She’s fine, Daniel," I said carefully. "Actually... she ate a full bowl of soup and a sandwich today. She seemed really hungry."
Silence fell over the line. The temperature in the recording room seemed to drop ten degrees.
When Daniel spoke again, the warm, charming husband tone was completely gone. In its place was a flat, icy drop of absolute control.
"What did you say?" he asked softly.
"I said she ate her lunch, Daniel. She was hungry."
"Maya," Daniel’s voice came through like a slow-moving knife. "I told you what her routine is. You don't overfeed her. She doesn't need to get soft. If she eats too much, she gets undisciplined."
"She’s five years old, Daniel! She’s underweight! She told me she’s scared she’ll disappear like Sarah did!"
A sharp intake of breath whistled over the line.
"What did she tell you about Sarah?" Daniel demanded, his voice dropping into a dangerous, dark register. "Maya, did she talk to you about her mother?"
"She said you told her Sarah left because she was greedy!" I said, pushing the button as instructed. "She said you told her she’d disappear too!"
"That little bitch," Daniel hissed, dropping the mask entirely. "She couldn't keep her mouth shut. Listen to me very carefully, Maya. You are going to lock her in her room until I get back on Friday. Do not feed her another bite. If you interfere with how I raise my daughter, you’re going to find out real fast what happens to women who don't follow my instructions."
"Are you threatening me, Daniel?"
"I'm telling you how things are," Daniel sneered. "Sarah thought she could take Lily and leave me, too. Look where that got her. Don't be stupid, Maya. I'll be home on Friday."
Click.
The call disconnected.
May you like
In the precinct room, Detective Vance stared at the recording console, his eyes wide with dark triumph. "We got him. We have terroristic threats, felony child abuse admission, and an explicit verbal connection to the disappearance of Sarah Whitaker."
Vance stood up and grabbed his coat. "We’re not waiting for Friday. We’re coordinating with the Chicago Police Department and the FBI right now. He’s getting picked up in his hotel room tonight."
