Chapter 1 — “She Was Telling the Truth”
Little Sophie stood beside the Christmas tree with tears streaming down her face.
Broken pieces of a red glass ornament lay on the rug.
Grandpa Robert stood several feet away, holding the silver hanging hook that had once been attached to it.
“You touched it.”
Sophie shook her head.
“I didn’t!”
Robert pointed toward the broken pieces.
“Just admit it.”
“I didn’t break it!”
The ornament belonged to Sophie’s grandmother, Helen.
It was not the most expensive decoration on the tree.
But Helen loved it.
Every Christmas, she insisted it be hung near the front.
Sophie knew that.
Which made Robert even more certain.
“I told you not to play near the tree.”
“I wasn’t!”
At that moment, Sophie’s father Daniel walked into the living room carrying two grocery bags.
He immediately noticed her crying.
“What happened?”
Sophie ran toward him.
“Grandpa says I broke Grandma’s ornament.”
Robert answered before Daniel could ask anything else.
“She was right beside the tree.”
Daniel put the bags down.
“Did you see her break it?”
Robert frowned.
“She was the only child in here.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
The room went quiet.
Daniel crouched beside Sophie.
“Did you touch the ornament?”
“No.”
“Did you bump the tree?”
“No.”
Robert sighed.
“Daniel, she was moving ornaments earlier.”
Sophie looked toward him.
“Grandma said I could.”
Robert stopped.
Daniel noticed.
“Helen told her she could decorate?”
Robert looked uncomfortable.
“Some of the lower branches.”
Sophie pointed toward the broken ornament.
“I didn’t touch that one.”
Daniel looked toward the tree.
Then remembered something.
A security camera faced the living room entrance and most of the Christmas tree.
“We don’t have to guess.”
Robert looked at him.
“What?”
Daniel pulled out his phone.
“Camera.”
He opened the recording.
The footage showed the living room completely empty.
The tree stood untouched.
The red ornament hung near the middle.
Then Milo, the family’s orange cat, walked into frame.
Sophie immediately pointed.
“Milo!”
The cat circled the tree.
Then stared upward.
Something dangling between the branches caught his attention.
Milo rose onto his back legs.
Reached into the tree.
His paw struck a branch.
The red ornament swung violently.
Then dropped.
It shattered on the rug.
Milo ran away.
Almost four minutes later…
Sophie entered the room.
She saw the broken ornament.
Then Robert came in behind her.
Daniel paused the footage.
He slowly turned toward Robert.
“She was telling the truth.”
Robert froze.
Sophie looked up at her father through her tears.
“I told Grandpa.”
Daniel nodded.
“I know.”
Then he looked back at the paused video.
Something else bothered him.
Milo had not been reaching for the red ornament.
He had been reaching for something hanging behind it.
Daniel zoomed in.
A narrow gold ribbon was visible inside the branches.
He looked toward Robert.
“What’s that ribbon?”
Robert’s expression changed again.