Chương 8
Daniel was not present.
Neither was Emily.
A child-interview specialist spoke with her in a room designed to look less official than it was. There were crayons, a small table, two soft chairs, and a shelf of toys no child ever seemed to use.
Sophie was told she could say she did not know.
She was told she could correct the adult.
She was told that if someone asked a question she did not understand, she should say so.
The interviewer began with school.
Sophie hated math but liked reading.
She had a teacher named Mrs. Kennard who wore bracelets that clicked against the whiteboard.
She had one friend, Arianna, who had recently stopped sharing her lunch because Sophie never had anything to trade.
The interviewer asked what happened before she came to the hospital.
Sophie colored one corner of a paper green.
“Daddy came.”
“What happened when he came?”
“He yelled at Mommy.”
“What did he say?”
“I don’t remember all.”
“What do you remember?”
“He said she made everything his problem.”
“What did Mommy say?”
“She said she was bleeding.”
“What happened next?”
Sophie changed crayons.
“Daddy said he couldn’t go back to jail.”
The interviewer waited.
Sophie drew a line across the paper.
“What happened after that?”
“Mommy tried to take his phone.”
“Why?”
“To call.”
“Who?”
“Ambulance people.”
“What happened?”
“He held it up high.”
The interviewer did not change expression.
“Then what?”
“Mommy pushed him.”
“Where?”
“In the kitchen.”
“What did he do?”
“He pushed her back.”
Sophie stopped coloring.
“Where did Mommy go?”
“She fell by the cabinet.”
The interviewer’s voice remained steady.
“What happened after she fell?”
“She got up.”
“Did you see any injuries?”
“She said her back hurt.”
“Then what?”
“Daddy said she was crazy.”
“Did Mommy use the phone?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Daddy put it in his pocket.”
The interviewer allowed several seconds to pass.
“What happened to the phone later?”
“Mommy got it when he was in the bathroom.”
“What did she do?”
“She tried to call.”
“Did she talk to anyone?”
“I don’t know.”
“What happened next?”
“Daddy came out.”
Sophie’s breathing changed.
The interviewer noticed.
“We can stop.”
“No.”
“We can take a break.”
“No.”
“You’re in charge of breaks.”
Sophie looked at her.
“Kids aren’t in charge.”
“In this room you’re in charge of breaks.”
“That’s fake.”
The interviewer almost smiled.
“A little.”
Sophie considered that.
“Okay.”
She took a sip of water.
Then continued.
“Daddy grabbed the phone.”
“What happened to it?”
“He threw it in the sink.”
“Did it break?”
“Yes.”
“Then?”
“He said he was leaving.”
“Did Mommy ask him to stay?”
Sophie nodded.
“What did she say?”
“She said, ‘Don’t leave me like this.’”
“What did he say?”
Sophie looked down at her drawing.
“He said, ‘You wanted me gone. I’m gone.’”
The interviewer waited.
Sophie’s eyes filled.
“Then he left.”
“What happened to Mommy?”
“She sat on the floor.”
“Was she awake?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“She said everything was okay.”
“Was it?”
“No.”
“What happened next?”
“She changed the babies.”
“By herself?”
“I helped.”
“With what?”
“Diapers.”
“Then?”
“She lay down.”
“Where?”
“On the couch.”
“Did she speak after that?”
Sophie nodded.
“What did she say?”
“She told me if she went to sleep, wake her up in an hour.”
“Did you?”
“I don’t know when an hour is.”
The interviewer’s face changed despite her training.
Only slightly.
Sophie noticed.
“I don’t.”
“That’s okay.”
“I waited until the long hand went around.”
“That was smart.”
“Mommy didn’t wake up.”
The interviewer let silence remain.
“What did you do?”
“I shook her.”
“Then?”
“I put water.”
“Then?”
“I opened her eyes.”
“With your fingers?”
Sophie nodded.
“What did you see?”
“She wasn’t looking.”
The room stayed quiet.
“Then what?”
“I checked the babies.”
“What made you decide to leave?”
Sophie took the hospital bracelet from her pocket.
She had refused to give it to police permanently.
They had photographed it and returned it.
“Mom gave me this when she came home from the hospital.”
“What did she tell you?”
Sophie repeated the words exactly.
“If Daddy comes back and I tell you to run, you take the babies and go where they gave me this.”
“Did she tell you why?”
“She said doctors would know her.”
“Did she tell you how to take the babies?”
“No.”
“How did you decide?”
Sophie shrugged.
“We don’t have a stroller.”
“What did you use?”
“Mr. Gonzales’s wheelbarrow.”
“Who is Mr. Gonzales?”
“He fixes the building.”
“How did you get the wheelbarrow?”
“It was by the dumpster.”
“Did anyone help you?”
“No.”
“How did you get the babies downstairs?”
Sophie looked confused.
“I carried them.”
“Both?”
“One, then the other.”
“Where was the first baby while you got the second?”
“In the wheelbarrow.”
The interviewer nodded.
“What blankets did you use?”
“The cream ones from Mommy’s bed.”
“Why?”
“They were thick.”
“What happened after you left?”
“Daddy came back.”
“Where did you see him?”
“By the store.”
“Did he see you?”
“Yes.”
“What did Mommy tell you to do if he found you?”
“Run.”
“Did you?”
Sophie looked annoyed.
“You can’t run with a wheelbarrow.”
The interviewer smiled.
“No. I guess you can’t.”
“I went fast.”
That detail became more important than anyone expected.
A traffic camera at the corner of Marion Avenue had captured Sophie pushing the wheelbarrow toward the hospital.
Seven minutes later, another camera captured Mark’s car making an illegal U-turn and heading in the same direction.
A grocery-store security camera showed him stop beside Sophie.
There was no audio.
He got out.
Sophie backed away from him.
Mark reached toward the wheelbarrow.
Sophie pulled it away.
A store employee stepped outside.
Mark returned to his car.
Sophie continued walking.
The employee later told police that the man had said, “She’s my daughter. She’s having a tantrum.”
The employee had believed him.
That bothered him afterward.
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He called police himself when he saw the story on a local social-media post.
The hospital had not released Sophie’s name.
