Chapter 5 - The Interrogation BeginsWithin ten minutes, the house was swarming with local police officers and paramedics. Noah was checked thoroughly by a medic and declared physically unharmed, though deeply shaken. Maria was led downstairs to give her formal statement, leaving Daniel alone in the living room with Detective Miller, a seasoned investigator with sharp eyes and an unreadable expression.
"Mr. Reynolds," Detective Miller said, placing a tablet on the coffee table. The screen showed clear, crisp high-definition footage of Vanessa unplugging the camera, picking up the iron, and stepping toward the crib. "We’ve reviewed the footage from the cloud backup. Combined with your housekeeper’s eyewitness testimony, we have more than enough to book Mrs. Reynolds on charges of attempted child endangerment and aggravated assault."
Daniel stared at the screen, his stomach churning. "Why?" he whispered, his voice cracking. "Why would she do this? She wanted Noah. She begged me to let her stay home with him while I worked. She acted like a loving mother."
Detective Miller leaned forward, tapping the screen. "Sometimes, Mr. Reynolds, people don't want what they think they want. Or... they want to eliminate an obstacle to something else. Have you checked your financial portfolios recently?"
Daniel frowned. "My finances? What does that have to do with—"
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"Everything," Miller replied grimly. "We did a preliminary sweep of your wife’s personal tablet while securing the scene. It turns out, Vanessa was heavily in debt. And three weeks ago, she took out a massive, million-dollar life insurance policy on you... and a secondary indemnity rider on baby Noah."
The room seemed to spin around Daniel. The pieces clicked together with horrifying clarity.
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