Chapter 5 - Claire’s Last Evening
Claire had given birth to a healthy baby girl at 5:42 Monday afternoon.
Helen knew that much because Claire sent her a photograph.
The baby rested against her chest.
Claire looked exhausted but happy.
“She’s perfect,” she wrote.
Her daughter’s name was Rose.
At 7:10 p.m., Claire called again.
Jason was in the room.
Helen heard his voice in the background.
He sounded angry.
Claire quickly said she would call later.
At 9:03, a nurse documented that Claire’s bleeding was within the expected range.
At 9:40, the same nurse ended her shift.
The next entry in the chart appeared at 1:06 a.m.
Emergency readmission.
Severe blood loss.
Unresponsive.
No explanation documented where Claire had been between those times.
Officer Shaw obtained a warrant for hospital records.
The electronic log showed Claire had been discharged at 10:22 p.m.
Against medical advice.
The form contained Claire’s digital signature.
Helen shook her head.
“She would never leave hours after giving birth.”
The discharge nurse was identified as Monica Bell.
When police contacted her, she initially said Claire insisted on going home.
Then Officer Shaw asked whether she had watched Claire sign.
Monica stopped answering.
Hospital surveillance showed Jason pushing Claire in a wheelchair toward the underground parking garage.
Claire’s head leaned heavily to one side.
She did not appear alert.
A newborn carrier rested on Jason’s other arm.
At 10:38, they entered the elevator.
At 11:18, Jason’s car left the garage.
That matched the timestamp on the parking pass found in his coat.
But Claire was not readmitted until nearly two hours later.
Jason had driven somewhere else first.
Tom asked the question everyone feared.
“Where was the baby?”
The hospital confirmed Rose had not been readmitted with Claire.
Jason told nurses she was with a relative.
He did not name the relative.
Helen’s grief turned to panic.
Claire was dead.
Jason had disappeared.
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And their newborn granddaughter’s location was unknown.
👉 The coffin was no longer the only mystery—Rose had vanished during Claire’s final hours.
