Chapter 1 - THE CALL AT 12:47Thomas Reed woke to his cellphone vibrating against the nightstand.
The clock beside it glowed 12:47 a.m.
He nearly ignored the call until he saw his granddaughter’s name.
“Lydia?”
The child was crying so hard she could barely breathe.
“Papa, Mommy says the baby is coming. Please hurry.”
Thomas threw back the blankets and reached for his jeans.
Behind Lydia’s voice came a muffled crash, followed by Cassidy groaning in pain.
“Where’s your dad?”
Lydia lowered her voice.
“He hurt Mommy’s tummy… then he went away.”
Thomas was already running toward the garage.
Cassidy lived less than ten minutes away in a quiet Bozeman subdivision, but the drive felt endless. He called 911 while speeding through empty streets, keeping Lydia on the other line.
“Stay beside Mommy. Don’t open the door for anyone except me or the paramedics.”
“The front door is already open.”
Thomas gripped the steering wheel.
“Did Daddy leave it open?”
“No. The policeman did.”
“What policeman?”
Before Lydia could answer, the call disconnected.
Thomas reached the house as ambulance lights flooded the snow-covered lawn. The front door stood wide open. Lydia crouched beside the couch in pink pajamas, clutching her stuffed elephant.
Cassidy lay curled on the floor, one hand beneath her abdomen. A dark bruise spread along her cheek, and blood marked the sleeve of her nightshirt.
Paramedics fitted an oxygen mask over her face and lifted her onto a stretcher.
Thomas gathered Lydia into his arms.
She stared toward the street.
“Daddy’s truck is gone.”
At Bozeman General Hospital, Cassidy disappeared through emergency doors. A paramedic named Miles Carter stopped Thomas before he could follow.
“The baby’s condition is critical.”
Thomas felt Lydia’s arms tighten around his neck.
Heavy boots approached through the corridor.
Deputy Wade Mercer turned the corner, carrying a clipboard beneath one arm. The moment he saw Lydia, he froze.
The child pointed at him.
“Daddy pushed Mommy down and hurt her.”
Mercer looked relieved for half a second.
Then Lydia added:
“And that policeman came before Papa.”
Thomas slowly set her down.
Mercer’s hand drifted toward his radio.
“What exactly did you see, sweetheart?”
Lydia buried her face against Thomas’s coat.
Thomas stepped between them.
“You don’t question her without an investigator present.”
Mercer forced a smile.
“I’m here to help.”
The small American flag beside the nurses’ station trembled in the air from the opening doors as another deputy entered.
Mercer watched Lydia clutching the battered elephant.
His expression changed again.
May you like
This time, he was staring at the toy.
👉 Lydia had accused her father, but Deputy Mercer appeared terrified of what her stuffed elephant might contain.
