Chapter 4 - The Autopsy and the Truth
Three days passed. Three days of living in a purgatory of media frenzy and agonizing waiting. The news of the "Lyon Crib Murder" had leaked to the press, and journalists besieged the small house in Caluire-et-Cuire.
Élise took Chloé and moved into a hotel, paid for by her parents. She refused to speak to Julien, who stayed at their marital home, sending dozens of unanswered messages.
On Friday morning, Captain Moreau called Élise into the police station. Julien was already there, sitting in a corner of the interrogation hallway, looking disheveled, his navy-blue suit wrinkled, his eyes bloodshot. Élise ignored him completely, sitting down with her lawyer, Maître Laurent.
"We have the preliminary toxicology reports," Captain Moreau announced, placing a thick folder on the metal table.
"What was it?" Élise asked, her voice cracking.
"Phenobarbital and high doses of pediatric sedatives," Moreau said heavily. "The amber bottle found in your mother-in-law's home during our search matches the substance perfectly. It’s a heavy-duty sedative prescribed to adults for severe neurological disorders. In a three-month-old infant, it causes gradual respiratory depression. It slows the heart until it stops."
Élise covered her face, sobbing silently. Her babies hadn't died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), as the initial doctor had assumed due to Martine’s interference and explanations of 'family medical history'. They had been poisoned.
"Why?" Julien croaked from the corner. "Why would she do that? She loved them!"
"She didn't love them, Julien. She loved control," Maître Laurent interjected sharply. "According to the logs found on her personal computer, she kept a diary. She wanted to prove that Élise was an unfit mother. Her plan was to make the babies chronically ill or lethargic so the social services—or you—would force Élise into a psychiatric facility, giving Martine full custody of the children and your complete dependency."
"But she killed them!" Julien wept, burying his face in his hands. "She killed my sons!"
"She miscalculated the dosage," Captain Moreau said without pity. "She increased the drops because she felt Élise was managing too well despite the babies' 'lethargy'. She wanted a crisis. Instead, she caused a tragedy."
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Élise stood up, walking over to Julien. He looked up at her, hoping for mercy.
"You did this too," Élise said, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "Every time I told you they were sleeping too much, you told me I was paranoid. Every time I said your mother’s milk smelled strange, you told me I was ungrateful. Your silence killed our sons just as much as her drops did."
