Chapter 6 - Behind Closed Doors
The police officer led my five-year-old grandson, Tommy, out onto the porch.
Tommy was wearing pajamas, his face streaked with dried tears, clutching a dirty stuffed bear.
"Mommy!" Tommy cried, reaching out for Melissa.
Melissa froze, her eyes darting between the officer and her son.
"What is going on here? Why are you in my house?" she demanded, stepping back.
A second officer walked out from the hallway, holding a clipboard and looking deeply unimpressed.
"We received an anonymous welfare check call this morning," the second officer explained.
"The caller stated that two young children were left completely unsupervised in a hazardous environment."
Jason rushed up the steps, trying to look like a concerned father.
"That's ridiculous, my wife was home with them all week!"
The first officer looked down at Jason with a hardened gaze.
"Sir, when we arrived ten minutes ago, the front door was unlocked."
"We found your son attempting to cook a pop-tart in a microwave wrapped in aluminum foil."
My hand flew to my mouth in horror.
"Your daughter was still asleep in a room filled with dirty laundry and empty wine bottles," the officer continued.
"Where were you, ma'am?" he asked, turning directly to Melissa.
Melissa stammered, her face turning pale.
"I... I was just sleeping in! I had a long week!"
"I've been here all week!" I shouted, unable to hold back my fury.
"I cleaned this house from top to bottom, I cooked every meal!"
The officers looked at me, then back at the disastrous state of the young couple.
"Ma'am, the house inside is currently covered in trash and rotting food," the officer noted.
I realized what Melissa had done the moment I left the house early this morning to set up the yard sale.
She had intentionally trashed the kitchen and living room to make it look like I had done nothing.
She wanted to justify her fake two-thousand-dollar bill.
But in her petty attempt to frame me, she had endangered her own children.
"She's a liar!" Melissa screamed, pointing a shaking finger at me.
"She's the one who left them alone! Arrest her!"
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The second officer sighed and tapped his body camera.
"Actually, ma'am, we already reviewed the footage from the security camera in your living room."
