Instead, looking at the timestamp on the video, I realized Harold’s Christmas morning had begun hours before Tessa’s did.

He had come with a plan.

PART 7

The next afternoon we spoke with Detective Ruiz at the hospital.

She brought a child-protection investigator named Marisol Chen, who explained how interviews with children were conducted in a calm, recorded setting by a trained professional.

She asked us not to rehearse Tessa’s memories with her or suggest answers.

“We want to hear her own words when she’s ready,” Chen said.

“Your role is to make sure she feels safe, not to collect proof.”