It wasn’t easy.
During the first few days, the girl barely spoke.
But the doctor knew that patience was key.
One afternoon, while they were drawing together, Emily finally said something important.
—I thought no one would believe me.
Karen put down the pencil.
—Why did you think that?
Emily looked at the drawing she was making.
A house.
With a small figure in a window.
—Dad said that everyone would think I was lying.
Karen took a deep breath.
—But you called 911.
Emily nodded.
—Because I couldn’t take it anymore.
The girl explained that her father had threatened her for a long time.
I told him that if he spoke, something terrible would happen.
That’s why he had used that strange phrase in the call.
“The snake”.
It was a childish way of trying to explain something he didn’t know how to describe.
The doctor noted every detail.
I knew that testimony would be crucial.
As the investigation progressed, the detectives discovered something else.
Thomas Miller had moved cities several times in the last ten years.
Always after brief relationships.
Always moving quickly.
That raised a troubling question:
Was Emily the only victim?
The police began reviewing old records.
Schools.
Neighbors.
Former couples.
Little by little, similar stories appeared.
Children who said they were afraid of him.
Families who remembered strange behavior.
Nothing that had reached the police… until now.
