“Is your daughter home?” Daniel asked.
“Yes. Nora’s in her room. She hasn’t been feeling well lately.”
Just then, a small girl appeared in the hallway.
Nora Whitman, six years old.
She held a teddy bear tightly to her chest. What caught Daniel’s attention wasn’t just how quiet she was — it was the small bandages on her arm.
Her teddy bear had matching bandages.
Daniel crouched to her level.
“Hi, Nora. I like your bear. What’s his name?”
“Mr. Snuggles,” she whispered.
“I see he has bandages like you. Did you both get hurt?”
Nora hugged the bear tighter.
“He takes the same medicine as me. So he won’t be scared.”
Daniel felt a chill run through him.
The air in the room smelled faintly like rubbing alcohol.
“Has she seen a doctor?” Daniel asked gently.
Mrs. Whitman sighed. “I tried. But I work two jobs. The appointments never worked with my schedule, and our insurance barely covers anything.”
“So who’s been treating her?”
A small smile appeared on her face. “Brian. Brian Keller. He’s a certified natural health practitioner. He’s been helping us.”
Right on cue, there was a knock at the door.
A man in his mid-30s stood outside, holding a leather bag.
“Hey, Gina,” he said smoothly — until he saw the officer.