The car doors closed.
For the first time since I arrived, the house became quiet.
But it was not peaceful.
Evidence technicians moved from room to room. The nurse recommended immediate hospital evaluation. Renee helped Mother gather a few belongings.
I went into the kitchen to find her coat.
When I lifted it from the chair, something heavy shifted inside the lining.
I checked the pockets.
Empty.
The weight came from beneath the fabric.
A section of the inner seam had been cut and stitched by hand.
“Mom?”
She appeared in the doorway.
“Did you put something inside your coat?”
Her eyes widened.
“I forgot.”
I found a small pair of scissors and carefully opened the seam.
A flash drive fell into my palm.
Taped beside it was a folded sheet of paper.
Mother stared at the objects as though seeing a ghost.
“What is this?” I asked.
She looked toward the officers in the living room.
