Chapter 2: It Started Small

Lacie considered her neighborhood pretty safe, even though she was on her own in the small house which David had purchased for them with money inherited from his parents. At her father’s urging, though, she installed a security system. Motion-activated lights and cameras covered the front and back yards. Adding to her feeling of security was her bestie, Joanne, who worked dispatch for the police. Lacie had Joanne’s mobile number on speed dial, although she remembered she shouldn’t call Joanne while she was working in the dispatch center.

David’s car had been transported from the ferry terminal back to her home. She intended to sell it, expecting to receive a good price for the classic Japanese sports car he doted on. But Lacie had hesitated, as the car still reminded her of him. So it sat in the carport, and every couple of weeks she’d run the engine to keep the battery up.

The car was her first worrying event. It was a Wednesday, and Lacie had Billy in his car seat after picking him up from day care. He was talking to himself, as usual, but she noticed he kept mentioning “Da-Da.” At his age, he could speak clearly and make sentences but he never called David anything but “Da-Da.”