Once she was gone, I picked up my phone. I didn’t call the regular police line. I called my brother, Jimmy. Jimmy is a dispatcher for the county. I told him everything. I told him about the 87 days of footage. I told him about David.

“He has a key, Jimmy,” I said, my voice finally cracking. “He let himself in last night. He’s been here every night. He is probably going to come back tonight.”

Jimmy didn’t hesitate. “I’m calling the night shift supervisor. We are going to set a trap. Do not tell Lily. Act like everything is normal. Go to bed at your normal time.”

That day at the dental office was pure hell. I couldn’t focus on the insurance claims. I kept seeing the gray jacket in my mind. I kept thinking about the fact that a man had been sleeping under my feet for ninety days without my knowledge.

At 9:00 PM, I told Lily it was time for bed. She was quiet, her eyes red and swollen. She went to her room without a word.

At 10:30 PM, I turned off all the lights in the house, just like I did every single night. But I didn’t go to sleep. I sat on the top step of the stairs in the dark, my heart hammering against my ribs.

At 10:45 PM, I heard a car door close quietly in the alley.

I waited.

At exactly 11:00 PM, I heard the faint, metallic sound of a key sliding into the lock of the back door.

The door creaked open.

I held my breath. I heard heavy footsteps stepping onto the linoleum kitchen floor. He was inside.

Suddenly, the front door of my house burst open. Blinding flashlights cut through the darkness. Three police officers rushed into the kitchen, their weapons drawn.

“State police! Don’t move! Get on the ground!”

I ran down the stairs and flipped the kitchen light switch.

There was David. He was standing near the refrigerator, his hands raised, his eyes wide with fear. He looked older. His hair was thin and graying, and his gray work jacket was dirty. But he still had that same smug, arrogant look on his face.

“Ellen, come on,” David said, trying to smile. His voice was smooth, just like I remembered. “There’s been a huge misunderstanding here. I’m just here to see my daughter. You don’t need to do this.”

“Get on the ground, sir,” Officer Miller barked, grabbing David’s arm and slamming him against the kitchen counter.

“Ellen, tell them!” David yelled, his voice losing its calm veneer as the metal handcuffs clicked around his wrists. “I’m her father! You can’t arrest me for being in my own family’s house!”