“You mentioned she vanished,” Carol countered. “Where on earth do you think she went?”
Michael let out an audible sigh, as though she were a minor inconvenience.
“It doesn’t matter what story she tells later. The point is she kept Leo away from me for three full days. Valerie says timing is everything here. Once seventy-two hours pass, I can document my attempts to contact you both, you can verify I called you, and then we formally file the custody petition.”
The color drained from Carol’s face. “What custody petition?”
“Mom, don’t start this. You yourself said Emily was losing her grip.”
“I said she seemed stressed out.”
“Same difference.”
My stomach churned violently.
Yet Carol’s voice remained unnervingly level. “And what happens when those three days are up?”
Michael lowered his tone. “I head back. I open up the house. I call for help. By that point, she’ll have acted erratic enough that nobody will believe she was calm the whole time.”
