Chapter 5 - The Red Line
The room went dead silent. The only sound was the refrigerator humming in the corner.
Locking six children under the age of twelve in a basement without an adult, with no immediate emergency exit to the outside, was not just bad parenting. It was criminal endangerment.
“June,” I said, keeping my tone as calm as humanly possible so she wouldn't panic. “Did that basement have windows that open to the outside?”
“No,” she shook her head. “They’re those tiny little glass brick windows near the ceiling. You can’t open them.”
“And the exterior walk-out door? Was that unlocked?”
“No, Dad has a padlock on that door because of his lawn equipment in the stairwell.”
Six children. Five hours. Locked in a subterranean room with a single interior exit that had been locked from the outside by an adult who was upstairs drinking alcohol. If a fire had started in that kitchen—if Scott’s new expensive espresso machine had shorted out—those children would have been trapped.
I stood up, walked into the hallway, and dialed my attorney, Evelyn Vance.
Evelyn had handled my divorce two years ago. She was sharp, unflinching, and didn't tolerate nonsense from negligent ex-spouses.
“Holly, hello,” Evelyn answered on the third ring. “What's going on?”
I laid it out for her in concise, chronological detail: the babysitting fee, the $415 collected under false pretenses, Scott’s admission on recorded line that the money was an ‘event fee,’ the statements from Tara and Chloe, and June’s disclosure about the locked basement door.
Evelyn didn't speak until I finished. When she did, her voice was razor-sharp.
“Holly, we are filing an emergency ex parte motion for suspension of unsupervised visitation first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Can we get it approved?” I asked.
“Unsupervised childcare for six toddlers run by a minor? False representation of paid services? But the locked door is the kill shot,” Evelyn stated plainly. “That is reckless endangerment of minors and false imprisonment under family welfare statutes. I want June’s forensic interview scheduled with child protective services before the weekend.”
“Scott will claim she’s exaggerating.”
“Let him claim whatever he wants,” Evelyn replied. “We have three mothers willing to testify that Scott was upstairs drinking while their children were locked downstairs. We have the Venmo receipts. And I'm going to subpoena his bank records. If he deposited that money into his personal checking account while claiming June volunteered, he’s in deep water with the family court judge.”
“What should I do right now?”
“Do not let June return to his house this weekend,” Evelyn instructed. “I will file the emergency order at 8:00 AM. If he shows up at your door, call the police immediately.”
May you like
I looked back into the kitchen. June was finishing her apple slices, looking smaller and more fragile than she had in months.
“He won't touch her again,” I said.
