Before I could answer, Patricia appeared behind him. When she saw me, something flickered in her eyes. Not guilt, not shame—annoyance.
"Your daughter was disturbing the entire neighborhood," she said coldly. "I simply gave her a timeout since you clearly don't discipline her."
Her husband turned to stare at her in horror. "Patricia, what did you do?"
"Don't look at me like that, Daniel. That child has been a nuisance since they moved in. Always making those strange noises. That ridiculous excuse for singing. Someone had to teach her there are consequences."
I pulled out my phone. "The police are on their way, and you should know our security camera caught everything."
The color drained from Patricia's face. "You're lying. There's no camera."
I showed her my phone screen. The app displayed clear footage of her entering our yard, approaching Emma, cruelly removing her cochlear implants despite my daughter's frightened protests, forcing her into the cage, and locking it before walking away with a satisfied smile.