Page 14 of He Doesn't Deserve You

“They have no idea why I was there. They probably thought I was just a burglar. Ava still goes to daycare, right?”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“So, what’s stopping you from just walking in there and picking up your daughter?” he asked with a glint of determination.

Emily smiled, “Nothing.”

“All right, here’s the plan: Monday morning, after everyone has dropped off their kids, you’ll pick up Ava. Just tell them she has a doctor’s appointment. By the time Gabriel comes to pick her up at the end of the day, we’ll be long gone. He’ll be shocked to find out she’s not there, and when he asks who picked her up, they’ll tell him it was her mother. If he calls the police, he won’t have any ground to stand on. You’re her mother, not separated, and there’s no custody order. The police won’t want to get involved.”

“That might work.”

“I’ll be waiting just outside if you encounter any problems. I can’t go in with you; Gabriel will probably want to review the security footage. We don’t want to tip him off that you are with me.”

8

Gabriel sat by Ava’s bedside, gently rubbing her back as she drifted asleep. Just then, Hayden poked his head into the room. “The police are here,” he whispered.

Nodding, Gabriel tenderly kissed his daughter’s forehead before quietly leaving the bedroom. As he reached the foyer, he joined Hunter, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and listened intently as Hunter recounted to the officers what had transpired and the details of what he had witnessed that night. When he finished, one of the officers turned to Gabriel, introduced himself, and said, “I see you have a security system. Did the alarm go off?”

“Not until the intruder left,” said Gabriel.

The officer turned his attention back to Hunter, “Did you disarm the system when you got home?”

Hunter replied, “I went to do it, but it wasn’t armed. I thought my Dad had forgotten to set it, so I activated the system, put it in stay mode, andthen headed up the stairs to bed.”

The officer asked Gabriel, “Do you remember setting the alarm before you went to bed?”

Gabriel nodded confidently. “Yes, I’m sure of it.”

“How many people know the code?” the officer inquired.

“My wife, my two boys, the housekeeper, and myself,” Gabriel responded.

The officer glanced around the room, asking, “And where is your wife now?”

Gabriel cleared his throat, a hint of nervousness in his voice. “Um, she’s out of town,” he said. “Do you think this could have been a random burglary?”

“It’s possible,” the officer said. “Hackers are incredibly sophisticated nowadays and can access the codes of security systems. Do you have any cameras installed?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t,” Gabriel replied.

“You might want to invest in some. It helps to deter burglars.”

“I will, right away.”

“Good. We’ll collect some prints from the keypad, just in case,” the officer said, nodding to his partner, who immediately began dusting the keypad.

“Did you notice if the intruder wore gloves?” he asked Hunter.

“No, sir, it was too dark and happened so fast,” Hunter replied.

“Is anything missing that you can tell?” the officer asked Gabriel.

“It doesn’t appear so, but I will have to inspect the house. We have twin teenagers and there are a lot of electronics. Can I do a report tomorrow after I have a chance to check?” Gabriel responded.

“Yes, you can do that.”

“Is there anyone you can think of who would have a reason to break in?” the officer asked.

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