Chapter 2 - WHAT KHLOE ACTUALLY SAW
At the pediatric emergency department, I told the clinician exactly what Khloe had said.
No embellishment.
No theory about poison.
No accusation that Derek had drugged my father.
The doctor examined Khloe.
There were no signs of acute physical injury.
The wet dress appeared consistent with a spilled beverage, although nobody could determine that merely by looking at it.
That was reassuring.
But fear mattered too.
A hospital social worker spoke with me.
Given Khloe’s disclosure involving threats by an adult, authorities were contacted according to reporting requirements.
A detective arrived later.
He did not sit across from Khloe and demand a story.
Instead, arrangements were made for a trained forensic interview.
I learned quickly why that mattered.
Children can be accurate witnesses.
They can also be influenced unintentionally by repeated questions.
I had already asked enough.
Meanwhile, I called Helen.
“Where’s Dad?”
“At home.”
“How does he feel?”
“Why?”
“Mom.”
She hesitated.
“He’s lying down.”
“Is he dizzy?”
Silence.
“How did you know?”
My chest tightened.
“Take him to the ER.”
“Emma, what is happening?”
“Khloe said something about Derek putting something in Dad’s drinks.”
Silence.
Then:
“That’s insane.”
“Maybe.”
“You accused Derek once already.”
“I’m not asking you to convict him. I’m asking you to get Dad evaluated.”
Robert refused.
Of course he did.
My father was sixty-six and treated medical advice as a personal attack.
Then he tried standing.
According to Helen, he nearly fell.
She called an ambulance.
Bloodwork was obtained.
The first results were not cinematic.
No mysterious poison instantly identified.
Robert was mildly dehydrated.
His blood pressure was low.
He had prescription medications in his system that were expected.
Nothing yet established deliberate poisoning.
I almost felt foolish.
Then Helen called again.
“Emma.”
“What?”
“Your father’s watch is gone.”
I frowned.
“What watch?”
“His gold retirement watch.”
I remembered it.
My grandfather gave it to him.
Expensive, but more sentimental than anything.
“When did he last have it?”
“This morning.”
I closed my eyes.
Missing property did not prove drugging.
But now we had:
a frightened child,
a threat,
an unexplained statement about drinks,
and missing valuables.
The next morning, Khloe participated in a forensic interview.
I was not in the room.
Later, investigators gave me only information appropriate for me to know.
Khloe said she had gone inside to use the bathroom.
On her way back, she saw Derek in my father’s study.
He was holding a small bottle.
He poured something into Robert’s drink.
Khloe asked:
“What’s that?”
Derek grabbed her shoulder.
Not hard enough to leave an obvious injury.
But enough to frighten her.
He told her:
“If you tell anybody what you saw, your mom gets hurt.”
Then lemonade spilled during the confrontation.
Khloe’s dress became soaked.
Derek told her to remove it.
Helen, unaware of the threat, later gave Khloe the pink towel while her dress dried in the bathroom.
That explained the towel.
No lurid hidden event.
No physical assault beyond the alleged threatening grab.
But then came the second part.
Khloe said she had seen Derek take something shiny from Grandpa’s desk.
She thought it was “another watch.”
I immediately remembered Derek’s wrist at the BBQ.
Shiny metal watch.
May you like
I had assumed it was his.
Investigators now had a specific object to look for.
