Chapter 10: The Evaluation
The court-ordered custody evaluator conducted interviews over several weeks. Lily was seen alone in a play-based setting; I was interviewed separately; Taylor and Evelyn were interviewed in turn. The evaluator reviewed the full medical file, the forensic interview, the photographs from the hospital, and the recorded statements in which Evelyn described the freezer as a corrective tool and Taylor minimized the harm. Lily did not volunteer new details about the cold. When asked about safety, she said she liked that the new place stayed warm and that Daddy checked the locks. When asked about the old house, she said she did not want to sleep there. The evaluator noted the absence of exaggeration and the presence of consistent, concrete fear tied to a specific location and a specific adult.
