There was a faint dark stain near the hinge. Claire did not touch them. She called Officer Jenkins upstairs, and he collected them in an evidence bag. In the trash beneath the sink, they found several small locks of brown hair wrapped in tissue. Claire had to lean against the doorway when she saw them. The police officer’s face softened, but he said nothing because
there was nothing gentle enough to say.
In Daniel’s home office, Claire found more than she expected. A notebook lay under a stack of mail, and at first glance it looked like a household budget list. But the pages were filled with complaints about Ava: lied about homework, disrespectful tone, hiding food, manipulating Claire. Some entries were dated on days Ava had not even been home because she was with Claire’s mother in Pittsburgh. Daniel had been creating a record. Not of Ava’s behavior, but of the story he planned to tell if anyone ever questioned him.
