My wife locked my five-year-old daughter in a dog kennel while I traveled—then our housekeeper found a suitcase hidden beside it
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Chapter 11 / 27
Chapter 11 - My first mistake
I made my biggest investigative mistake the third night after Pippa came home from the hospital evaluation.
She had nightmares.
At 2 a.m., she crawled into my bed.
I held her.
Then asked:
“Did Camilla lock you out there every time Daddy traveled?”
Pippa nodded.
I immediately regretted the wording.
Every time.
Leading.
Too broad.
The next morning I told the detective exactly what I had asked.
Did not hide it.
The defense later used it to challenge Pippa’s later estimates.
Correctly.
My question could have influenced her.
That meant trained interviewers relied more heavily on details Pippa offered independently and on corroborating records.
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Parents want answers.
Sometimes the most protective thing is resisting the urge to gather them yourself.
