I looked toward Violet’s backpack.
“Yes.”
Ellis waited.
“But I don’t know who.”
She nodded once.
“Then we’ll find out.”
She asked the security company to send the complete event history to the department. While we waited, I called Violet’s mother, Claire.
She answered on the fourth ring.
“What’s wrong?”
I didn’t ask how she knew something was wrong.
I told her Violet was in the hospital.
There was silence.
Then her breathing changed.
“What happened?”
“Someone hurt her inside the house.”
Claire began asking questions so quickly that I could barely follow them.
Was Violet conscious? Was she bleeding? Which hospital? Was she alone?
I answered what I could.
Then I asked the question that mattered.
“Did you use the house alarm today?”
Another silence.
Longer this time.
“No.”
“Claire.”
“I didn’t go to the house today.”
I believed her voice.
But I didn’t yet know whether that meant anything.
