Daisy and Theo pushed through the crowded mansion, the echo of officers' radios and hurried footsteps bouncing off the marble floors. Investigators moved between rooms, shouting orders, while yellow evidence markers dotted the hallways like grim punctuation.
"I have to see her!" Daisy cried, trying to force her way past the uniformed officers.
"Ma'am! Please step back!" one shouted, but she wrenched free, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"That's my mom! Mom!" she screamed, her voice cracking with desperation. "Tell me this is a lie! Mom! Please, tell me this is a lie!"
Theo grabbed her arm gently, trying to calm her, but she shook him off. Her panic-filled cries reverberated through the mansion, drawing the attention of everyone inside.
Minutes stretched like hours. The sound of hurried footsteps approached from the study, and a covered body was wheeled out by the police. Daisy's scream tore through the air once more, raw and unrestrained, her world collapsing around her.
