Rachel and Joe return home late into the night to find the apartment lights are faintly glowing ,casting shadows across the walls. The children they assume are snuggly tucked in their beds. Rachel steps further inside, and sees her sister Sammy asleep on the couch, Smmy's young daughter is breathing softly in the bassinet beside her. Rachel turns toward Joe, She leans in and whispers, "I think I'll let her sleep."
He nods. "You might as well.
The two step in the hall to check on their children. Joe's and Rachel's footsteps are cushioned by the soft carpet as they continue down the hall.
They step in. Noah found him sleeping soundly in his bed, his favorite teddy tucked tightly in his arms. The toy's soft body is pressing against him. His tiny mouth moving as though he's still drinking from his bottle. Joe moves closer and whispers, "All that kid does is eat. He's 20 lb at six months, which is nearly triple his birth weight. His oversized hands and feet paired with his paunch belly make him look like a miniature sumo wrestler. The other two were a little chunky as babies, but nothing like this. Rachel nods in agreement.
They look over at Joe Jr. to find his bed lamp lighting up his side of the room and a book covering his face. Rachel softly chuckles. "My little straight nerd," she thinks. Walking over, she removes the book and then reaches over and switches off the light. Bending down, she kisses his forehead. She does the same with the baby before stepping into the hall. She sees Joe waiting for her at their daughter's door.
A sober expression crosses her face when she asks, "How did this get so routine for us?
"I don't like it anymore than you do, missing out as much as we do, but we both know it's all part of the job."
They step inside Lulu's room to find she's sleeping at the foot of the bed, her covers are on the floor, and her sheet is tangled around her. Walking over, Rachel untangles the sheet and then tucks it and the blanket around her daughter. She's always been a restless sleeper, she thinks. The doctor insists she'll grow out of it in time. Rahel hopes it's sooner rather than later, especially after what she found a few months back. Rachel would go in to wake her for school and find her shivering on the cold, drafty floor a few feet from her bed. Lullu claimed she didn't know how she ended up on there.
. Concerned over the possibility Joe agreed that it might be a good idea to put thick padding by the bed in case it happens again. Lulu wasn't fond of the idea, claiming that her friends would tease her. Rachel showed her how to hide it under her bed. Lulu reluctantly agreed.
Kissing her daughter, she steps into their bedroom to find her husband already sawing logs. His snores are steady, and the soothing sound makes her more tired. I'm not too far behind you, she thinks, quickly changing into her night clothes.
Joe and Rachel both feel like they'd just dozed off when the alarm sounds. "It's morning already,' Joe grumbles, reaching for the noisy device.
"I'll make the coffee; you wake the kids." Rachel yawns. Pushing the covers back, she tosses her feet over the edge of the bed.
"Make sure you add espresso."
"Double shot coming right up." Rachel chuckles.
The station is still quiet when the duo arrives. Both the captain and sergeant grab a quick cup of coffee and a fleeting kiss before heading to their desks.
Rachel's first task on her list was to reinterview Millie's neighbors. She knocks on several doors only to find their stories haven't changed. No one was willing to give her an alibi, yet they were reluctant to say they knew for certain that she wasn't home.
"She works strange hours, and with her car in the garage we never know if she's home or not," one of her neighbors quickly explains.
"Did you notice any lights on in the house during the time in question?" Rachel presses.
"She always keeps her lights on when her husband's away. She says she feels better, safer that way."
That's convenient, Rachel thinks, heading back to the station.
Sitting down at her desk, Rachel pulls up the email sent to Mr. Langston shortly before his death. Her pulse quickens as she reads. Millie is accusing him of neglecting his patients. She's even cited medical errors the past few weeks. Further down Millie states that she's going to report him to the board. So there is definitely animosity growing between you.
Rachel opens Langston's reply. His words cut sharp: "You threaten me with disbarment, and I'll threaten you with the same." Rachel leans back, whispering to herself, "So you decided to settle it by killing him. That's motive—but is it enough for my dad to take to the judge?"
Racekl looks over to find his one and only reply. Opening up, she begins to read. His words are sharp and to the point. "You threatened him with disbarment, and he threatened you with the same. So you decided to settle it by killing him. That sounds like a plausible motive to me, but will that be enough for my dad to take to the judge?
Rachel then recalls what the hospital staff had said—how they claim Millie argued with all the victims shortly before, if not the day of, their demise.
When the officers asked them about her disappearance, the staff claimed she was missing in action for approximately half an hour, and when her supervisor asked her about it, Millie claimed she was taking her break in the lounge, but no one recalls seeing her there.
The suspect's story suddenly shifts. Millie claimed her coworkers were mistaken, that she told them she went down to the cafeteria because of all the chaos on the floor.
When the officers mentioned the cafeteria was closed at the time. She recanted her statement again by claiming she was at a table in the hall. Forensics checked the camera's footage to find she was on the first floor but never at a table. Millie claims she had a bout of diarrhea, so she ran to the bathroom before she ate. The footage never showed her at any of the tables.
Rachel exhales sharply at the weight of her discrepancies. The pieces don't add up, yet the suspicion builds with every lie.