Chapter 1 - THE MONSTER’S PANIC
Julian stood frozen on the terrace, his expensive tennis racket slipping from his grip and clattering against the concrete.
He stared down six stories at the bright crimson puddle spreading across the courtyard. From his angle, it looked exactly like a nightmare. It looked like the end of his life.
His breathing turned ragged. He backed away from the railing, his hands pulling at his hair. "No, no, no," he hyperventilated, spinning around to look at the empty terrace. "Lily? Lily!"
He grabbed the handle of the heavy French doors. They were unlocked now, left open by Mr. Henderson. Julian stumbled into the living room, his face the color of wet ash.
"Lily!" he screamed, his voice cracking with pure terror.
Suddenly, the lights in the apartment flicked on.
Two uniformed police officers stepped out from the hallway, their hands resting cautiously near their utility belts. Behind them stood Detective Rayburn, a tall, imposing man who looked at Julian with absolute disgust.
"Looking for someone, Mr. Vance?" the detective asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Julian’s knees literally buckled. He collapsed onto the sofa, sobbing hysterically. "She fell! Oh my god, she fell! I just locked her out for a second! It was a joke! It was just a joke!"
I stepped out from the shadow of the kitchen. I was still wearing my hospital scrubs.
Julian looked up, his face covered in snot and tears. "Maya! She fell! Our baby—"
"She didn't fall, Julian," I said, my voice as cold and flat as a frozen lake. "That’s acrylic wood stain you left on the ledge last week. It blew over in the wind."
Julian stopped crying. The terror on his face slowly morphed into confusion, and then, sickeningly, into anger.
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"She’s alive?" he asked. And then he stood up, wiping his face, his posture shifting back into his arrogant baseline. "Are you kidding me? You called the cops over a spilled bucket of paint?"
Detective Rayburn stepped forward, pulling a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his belt. "No, Mr. Vance. She called the cops because you abandoned a four-year-old child on a freezing balcony for four hours so you could play tennis. Turn around and put your hands behind your back."
