Page 84 of Day Break

“Since I first arrived there,” Chloe answered.

Malory glanced down at the file and after a moment of scanning the pages, she shook her head.

“You moved into the home at twenty-two Canary Lane ten years ago,” Malory said.

Chloe nodded. “Yes, that’s about right. I’m not positive on the dates, but I spent about ten summers in that home.”

“And in that entire time, you never left the house?” Malory asked.

“No, I wasn’t permitted,” Chloe answered.

“Why is none of this in the file?” Malory asked suddenly, her voice raising slightly.

“I…” Chloe looked worried.

“Not you, honey, I’m talking to Detective Delph.” Malory pointed at the mirror. “Get your skinny butt in here,” Malory said, standing up.

I looked at Chloe, but she was suddenly looking pale as a tall, skinny blonde woman stepped into the room.

Instantly, I understood that Chloe knew the woman.

“Why the hell isn’t any of this in her file?” Malory barked at the other woman.

“It never came up.” Detective Delph answered.

“Didn’t it?” Malory waved her hands. “Within the first fifteen minutes of talking to her, she hints of not only abuse, but imprisonment. But it never came up?” Malory’s voice rose again.

“No, detective. It didn’t. Sarah Meyers was—” Detective Delph started.

“Chloe,” Chloe broke in. “My name is Chloe Dawn.”

Detective Delph narrowed her eyes. “She refused to even look at me.” The woman pointed at Chloe.

“I wasn’t permitted to speak to anyone my husband didn’t authorize. The last time I’d spoken to anyone other than him was a year prior to the police busting down the door and waking me up in the middle of the night,” Chloe said softly. “I’d been told that if that ever happened, that you all would try to entrap me into speaking ill of my husband, which was a sin in god’s eyes.”

Detective Delph tilted her head slightly and looked at Chloe as if seeing her for the first time. “You’ve changed.”

Chloe nodded. “I had to.”

Detective Delph sighed heavily and then nodded. “Okay.”

“This is shoddy work,” Malory said. “Really shoddy.”

Detective Delph moved over and sat down. “What else can you tell us about your husband?”

“Ex. Ex-husband,” Chloe corrected, not missing a beat.

Detective Delph smiled. “Ex-husband.”

“Not much. I wasn’t allowed into his computer room, except to give him food. Wesley Allen would know more about everything. Have you asked him?”

“Who?” both Detective Delph and Malory asked at the same time.

But I saw a hint in both of their eyes that they knew exactly who Chloe was talking about.

Chloe frowned. “Wesley Allen. Elliott brought him over several times. They worked together.”

Malory glanced at the file again. “It says here that Elliott was having drinks with a Lisa Allen the other night at the restaurant.” She glanced up at Chloe, who shrugged. “Lisa paid for their drinks on her credit card.”