And yet, when I replayed the scene in my mind, there were details I could no longer dismiss.
The cage had been positioned deliberately.
The phone had been positioned deliberately.
The snakes had been there deliberately.
And my wife had known exactly what she wanted the camera to capture.
That realization hurt more than the shouting.
The responder looked back at the screen.
“We found another recording from earlier.”
“Earlier today?”
“No.”
He paused.
“Earlier than that.”
I looked at him.
“How much earlier?”
“We’ll know more once the videos are reviewed.”
He wouldn’t speculate, and I appreciated that. I didn’t want another theory. I wanted facts.
My wife was still nearby, separated from us while the responders dealt with the scene at the house. I could hear her voice occasionally through the hallway. She was talking quickly, explaining herself to anyone who would listen.
I couldn’t make out every word.