“Daddy, we have to go,” she whispered. “There are… heads in her closet. Real heads.”
My heart pounded. Was it her imagination, or had she seen something terrible? I didn’t take chances—I scooped her up and left, making an excuse to Lily.
Later, after dropping Chloe at my mom’s, I returned to Lily’s under the pretense of playing the game. My hands shook as I opened the closet.
Four heads stared back. My breath caught—until I realized they were rubber Halloween masks.
Relief hit me, but so did guilt. Back in the kitchen, I confessed to Lily what Chloe had seen. Her face fell as she realized why we’d left so suddenly.
“You went through my closet?” she asked, stunned.
I nodded. “I had to be sure.”
Chloe’s terror was real, even if her fear was unfounded. Now, I just had to figure out how to explain it to her.