I moved methodically through the house, removing valuable items from their usual places.

My husband’s antique watch collection.

My grandmother’s silver.

The small but valuable art pieces we’d collected over the years.

These treasures weren’t being hidden out of fear of theft—they were part of a carefully choreographed scene.

When Rebecca and Philip returned, they would find obvious gaps where valuable items had been, triggering their worst fears about what I might know and what I might have done.