Sarah adjusted the blue laundry basket in her arms.
She walked down the hallway of her bright suburb home.
The afternoon sun spilled across the wooden floorboards.
A decorative American flag hung proudly on the white wall.
Her two-year-old son Leo was playing near the staircase.
He wore his favorite pair of bright yellow overalls.
The family had recently hired a nanny named Clara.
Clara was wearing an elegant green satin dress today.
She said she was going to a dinner later.
Sarah wanted to give the woman a real chance.
Yet something about Clara felt cold and distant.
Mark had insisted on hiring extra help at home.
His law firm demanded fifty hours of work weekly.
He felt Sarah was getting exhausted with the household.
Sarah appreciated his effort to help the family out.
She still preferred taking care of Leo by herself.
Leo giggled as he stepped near the bottom stair.
Clara stood two steps above the small toddler.
Her red hair caught the overhead light brightly.
Sarah paused at the end of the clean hallway.
She smiled at her happy child playing near stairs.
Then she noticed Clara moving her right high heel.
The movement looked deliberate and sharp toward the boy.
Sarah stopped in her tracks with a sudden chill.
She could not believe what her eyes were seeing.