I stared at her, struggling to process everything. “Why didn’t you call me?” I asked. Kaylee explained that Tara had taken her phone several weeks earlier, claiming she was too irresponsible to have one. Whenever she managed to borrow a device, Tara somehow discovered it. She had also warned Kaylee that if she told me anything, I would believe my wife and send her away permanently. Kaylee admitted that she had tried writing letters to me, but Tara intercepted them. Eventually, she stopped trying to ask for help openly. Instead, she began collecting evidence.

The baby monitor was connected to a small recording device Kaylee had hidden behind a loose panel. She explained that it captured conversations in the garage and part of the kitchen. She had started recording after hearing Tara and Rick discussing the money and the residential program. For thirty-one nights, she had carefully saved recordings whenever they spoke about her. “I didn’t know what else to do, Dad,” she said, her voice breaking. “I needed something you couldn’t ignore.” I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be okay, but I knew I first needed to understand exactly what we were dealing with. Then she told me something that made my stomach turn: her sixteenth birthday party was going to be the moment they tried to make her sign the paperwork.