SHE SAID MY 8-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER “FELL”—THEN MY TERRIFIED CHILD WHISPERED, “SHE TOLD ME TO LIE.”
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Chapter 6 / 15
Chapter 6 - THE HOME-STUDY INTERVIEW
Dana interviewed Emily alone.
No Sarah.
No Rachel.
Emily said Rachel could be nice.
“She makes pancakes with chocolate chips.”
She also said:
“Sometimes she gets scary when Mom isn’t home.”
Dana asked what scary meant.
Emily answered:
“She makes me stand still until I stop crying.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does she hit you?”
“No.”
Important.
No invented beating.
Then:
“Does she punish you?”
Emily nodded.
“Cold showers sometimes.”
Dana stopped writing.
“Cold showers?”
Emily explained.
Not full showers.
Rachel sometimes used cold water to “reset” her when she was crying or muddy.
Garden hose.
Bathroom spray nozzle.
Wet washcloth.
May you like
It had happened more than once.
Sarah had never known.
