My Dad’s Criminal Ended My Life and I Was Autopsied Novel by Cora Seals

My mom handed the paper, corroded by stomach acid, to the CSI. She rubbed her sore lower back and said to my dad with a sigh, “I hope we get something from this paper. Did you remind Lily to lock the doors?”

My dad nodded grimly. He then hesitated before speaking. “Honey, you know Emily hasn’t answered her phone or responded to Eddie. Do you think something might have actually happened to her? Should I have someone check on her?”

My mom was irritated and cut him off. “Come on, don’t you know her by now? She’s just hiding, waiting for us to come looking. It’s not the first time she’s pulled something like this.

“She just doesn’t want to go to Lily’s match. By tomorrow at the latest, she’ll call us crying and apologizing.”

The last time I went missing was during summer break when Lily locked me in the school bathroom. The school was empty during the break, and no one could hear my cries for help.

I managed to climb out, covered in dirt, and limped home with a twisted ankle.

But instead of comfort, I was met with Dad’s hard slap and Mom’s furious scolding.

“Lily said she saw you going to a hotel with some thug? How could I have raised such a shameless girl!”

I could not defend myself. I could only watch as Lily smirked in secret.

Eddie tried to comfort me while gently applying ointment to my bruises. “Mom and Dad don’t hate they just don’t know how to connect with you.”

But I knew better. Compared to the clever and charming Lily, I would never get my parents’ attention or concern.

In the family, love and attention were never equally distributed and always leaned toward the one they loved more.

Unfortunately, that person would never be me.

If I were still alive, I would just be making them some homemade soup and bringing it to the station when they could not come home because of work.

But this time, I would not be showing up to apologize, as they expected.

After all, I was just a dead person now.

The results from the CSI came back quickly. The paper was a receipt.

The killer had stuffed it into my mouth, forcing me to swallow it as part of the torture. “Is this something you bought for your parents? They’ll just throw it in the trash.”

My dad frowned. “What’s this place?”

Chester hesitated. “I’ve checked. It’s a shop that sells good luck charms.”

When my parents and the other officers walked into the shop, the owner jumped in surprise.

She took the tattered receipt, glanced at the number in the corner, and flipped through her records.

“A young girl bought this a while back. She said it was a gift for her parents, that their jobs were dangerous.

“But she never came to pick it up, and when I called, no one answered.” She pulled out two small good luck charms and said softly, “These charms symbolize protection, happiness, and a long life.”

My dad took the charms. He then sighed and asked, “Do you still have the security footage?”

The owner nodded. “The girl was quiet and polite. She spent a long time picking out the right good luck charms for her parents. I remember her well.”

When the footage played, all the officers stood in silence.

My mom swallowed hard, staring at the screen. “Why does this girl look just like Emily?”

The owner overheard and said, “Emily? That’s the name on the receipt!”

My dad’s expression darkened as he tried to stay calm. “It’s probably just someone with the same name. Emily’s hiding somewhere, laughing at us right now.

“Owner, are you in on this with her? Do you think you can trick the police?”

Suddenly, my mom’s phone rang. She answered with a trembling voice, “Hello, Leo?”

Leo Xander from the forensic lab spoke urgently. “Dr. Zimmer, the DNA results for the victim are in.”