I felt Detective Ortiz looking at me.
“What happened next?” she asked.
“Grandpa grabbed the picture. He asked if Dad told me about the lake house.”
My heart stumbled.
Daniel and I had worked from a temporary surveillance property near Percy Priest Lake during our final assignment together. No one outside the unit should have known.
Jake continued in a trembling voice.
“I said I didn’t know any lake house. Then Grandpa said Dad had been lying for years. Uncle Brian said they needed to call Mom. Grandpa started yelling. I got scared and tried to leave.”
He squeezed his eyes shut.
“That’s when they grabbed me.”
The specialist stopped the interview when Jake’s breathing became uneven. A nurse adjusted his monitor while I whispered that he was safe, though the word felt fragile and unfinished.
Detective Ortiz asked me to step into the hallway.
“What lake house?” she said.
