“Only babysitters. They never stayed long.”
She looked at wall. Uneasy. Then: Ethan lifted hand.
Pointed at cold spot. Opened mouth. Three words.
“Mama in there.”
Dr. Mitchell: Went pale. Stepped back. “David, I need you to call the police.”
“What? Why?”
“Your son is pointing at that wall. Saying his mother is in there.”
“Sarah died eighteen months ago. She’s buried—”
“I know. But children this age don’t lie about things like this.”
“They don’t have the cognitive development for deception.”
“If he’s saying she’s in there, something made him believe that.”
“This could be nothing. Or it could be something you need authorities to investigate.”
My hands shook. “You think… you think someone told him that?”
“Or showed him something. Or he sensed something. I don’t know.”
“But this behavior is too specific. Too persistent. Too focused.”
“You need to have that wall examined. Professionally. Today.”
Called police. Non-emergency line. Explained situation.
Dispatch: “Sir, are you reporting a possible… crime?”
“I don’t know. My son keeps pointing at a wall. Says his mother is in there.”
“She’s buried across town. But he’s insistent. And babysitters kept quitting.”
“We’ll send an officer to assess.”
Officer arrived. Two hours later. Detective Sarah Chen. Experienced. Serious.
Listened to story. Watched Ethan point at wall. Heard him repeat: “Mama in there.”
Pulled me aside. “Mr. Warren, I’m going to be direct. This is unusual.”
“Children don’t fabricate specifics like this. Especially at this age.”
“I’d like permission to bring in a K-9 unit. Cadaver dog. Just to check.”
My heart stopped. “Cadaver dog? You think there’s… a body?”
“I think we need to rule it out. Can I call them?”
“Yes. Do it. I need to know.”
K-9 unit arrived. German shepherd. Trained for remains detection.
Handler led dog through house. Room by room. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.
Ethan’s room: Dog went straight to corner. Where Ethan pointed. Sat. Alerted.
Handler: “We have a hit. Something’s behind this wall.”
Detective Chen: “Mr. Warren, I need you to step outside.”
“This is my house—”
“And this is now a potential crime scene. Please. Wait outside.”
Took Ethan. Went to neighbor’s house. Watched through window.
Police: Brought tools. Carefully removed drywall. Section by section.
Behind wall: Insulation. Studs. Wiring. Then: Something else.
