Inside was the observation room, dark and smelling of stale coffee and old paper.

On the other side of the two-way mirror, Landon sat at a scratched metal table.

His hair was a tangled mess, and his expensive linen vacation shirt was wrinkled and stained with sweat under the arms.

An investigator named Detective Miller sat across from him, tapping a cheap plastic pen on a yellow legal pad.

“I didn’t know she was going to do that,” Landon’s voice came through the small wall speaker, thin and trembling.

“Do what, Landon?” Miller asked, not looking up from his notepad.

“Lock the house down,” Landon said, rubbing his face with both hands.

“My mother handles all the smart-home integration,” Landon continued, his voice cracking. “She set up the security system for us as a housewarming gift.”

“So you had no idea your wife and newborn son were locked inside without heat or power?” Miller asked.

“No! I swear,” Landon cried, leaning forward so fast his chair scraped loudly against the concrete floor. “Patricia said she was just setting the system to ‘away’ mode so the pipes wouldn’t freeze while we were gone.”