I told you this would happen!” She was shouting at Mateo now, at no one, at the room. “I knew I shouldn’t have left the house! I should have just locked the deadbolts and left the babies in their cribs while I came to drag her back!”

The room froze.

Even the dust motes in the sunlight seemed to stop moving.

Officer Davis looked up slowly from the iPad. “Ma’am… what did you just say?”

Lydia blinked, panting. “I… I said she should have been there to watch them.”

“No,” the male officer said, his voice dropping an octave. “You said you should have just locked the deadbolts and left the babies in their cribs.” He took one step toward her.