Mom sighed. "That girl's been gone all day. I thought she'd finally come home, so I was going to teach her a lesson."
Aunt Stella shot my mom a look of pure disdain. "Are you out of your mind?"
"You told me yourself she was home with a fever when you left at noon. How could she have possibly gone outside?"
Thud! The broom clattered to the floor.
Sensing something was wrong, Aunt Stella spoke up again. "If the child really did leave the house, you can check the security cameras with property management."
The moment my dad heard that, he shot up from the couch and turned to my grandmother. "Mom, stay here and watch Herbert. Lisa and I will go talk to the property office."
Grandma held my sleeping little brother in her arms and waved them off.
The two of them went to the property management office and explained the situation.
When they pulled up the surveillance footage, it was clear: after Grandma had left the apartment, I never once went downstairs.
On the walk back, my mom kept talking. "That girl's always been stubborn. She's probably hiding somewhere in the apartment."
"We just didn't look hard enough."