Chapter 5 - The Break in the Wall
Armed with the neighbor’s security footage, the financial records, and Dr. Reed’s forensic timeline, Maya met with District Attorney Richard Vance and Detective Miller.
When Miller saw the 3:15 AM video footage and reviewed the clear evidence of the secret insurance policy, her hardened demeanor cracked. The realization that she had been manipulated into acting as the enforcer for a pair of monster parents enraged her.
"Bring Dan in," Miller commanded her officers. "Leave Kate out for now. Dan’s the weak link. Let's break him."
At 2:00 PM on Thursday afternoon, police officers pulled up to Dan’s workplace and escorted him to the precinct in handcuffs. They led him into Interrogation Room A—the exact room where I had been interrogated days earlier.
Miller didn't play nice. She didn't offer him water or pleasantries. She threw the enlarged forensic photos of Paige’s broken femur onto the table, followed by printouts of his secret gambling debts and the newly opened insurance policy.
"We know, Dan," Miller declared, leaning over the table, her voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "We know about the 3:15 AM video from your neighbor’s driveway. We have the audio of Paige screaming while you shoved her into the car. We have the medical expert who proved her bone was broken six hours before Ally ever touched her."
Dan’s face drained of all color. He began to sweat profusely, his eyes darting frantically around the small room. "I... I don't know what you're talking about! Ally was looking after her! Ally lost her mind!"
"Ally is innocent, and you know it!" Miller slammed her fist onto the table, making Dan jump in his chair. "If you take this to trial, you are looking at twenty-five years to life for aggravated felony child abuse, insurance fraud, and criminal conspiracy. But if you tell me the truth right now—if you tell me whose idea it was to dump that suffering baby on Ally—I might talk to the DA about a plea deal."
Dan’s fragile composure shattered into pieces. He slumped forward, burying his face in his trembling hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
"It was an accident!" Dan wept, his voice muffled by his palms. "I was drunk! I got up at three in the morning to feed her, and I tripped over the dog on the top step of the stairs! I fell on top of her... we heard the snap... oh God, the sound..."
"And why didn't you call 911?" Miller demanded coldly.
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"Kate wouldn't let me!" Dan confessed, tears streaming down his flushed face. "She took Paige from me. She said if we called an ambulance, child services would test my blood, find the alcohol, see my debt, and take Paige away forever. Kate said... Kate said we had to wait until morning. She said if we gave Paige to Ally, Ally would take the heat because she was always so soft with the baby. Kate came up with the insurance idea... she told me it was the only way out!"
Every word of Dan’s confession was recorded on high-definition video and audio, burning through the silence of the monitoring room next door.
