Chapter 17 - THE REPLACEMENT
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The house was supposed to be empty. Mark was at his contracting office, and Linda had a scheduled meeting with the CPS caseworker.
Sarah parked two blocks away and walked through the neighbor's side yard, using her spare key to slip through the kitchen door. The house smelled faintly of bleach and lavender—Linda’s signature scent.
Sarah moved silently upstairs, her chest physically aching at the sight of Lily’s empty crib. She bypassed the nursery and stepped into the hallway bathroom.
She stopped.
The toilet was gone.
In its place sat a brand-new, high-efficiency porcelain model. The caulk around the base was still bright white and slightly soft to the touch.
Sarah stared at it. The police report noted the plumbing was backed up during the incident. But a clog didn't require entirely ripping out and replacing a functioning toilet.
She opened the vanity trash can. Buried beneath a pile of wet wipes was a crumpled yellow carbon-copy invoice.
O’Leary Plumbing. Emergency Call. $850 paid in cash. Removal of standard unit, extraction of blockage from main S-trap.
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Sarah folded the receipt into her pocket. Linda hadn't called a plumber to fix a leak. She had paid cash to have the entire fixture removed from the house before Mark or the police could look closely at what was actually blocking the pipes.
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