Click.
\nThe sound came again.
\nA camera shutter.
\nSomewhere upstairs.
\nEveryone froze.
\nThe police officer closest to me raised one hand.
\n\u201cStay where you are.\u201d
\nAnother officer moved toward the staircase.
\nDana stepped in front of me and Ava automatically.
\n\u201cLena, take Ava outside.\u201d
\nI couldn’t move.
\nMy eyes were fixed on the upstairs hallway.
\nClick.
\nAnother photograph.
\nThen silence.
\n\u201cWhoever is up there,\u201d the officer shouted, \u201ccome out slowly with your hands visible!\u201d
\nNothing.
\nHe looked at the other officers.
\n\u201cMove.\u201d
\nThree officers started up the stairs.
\nTheir footsteps disappeared into the darkness.
\nAva was trembling against my chest.
\nI kissed the top of her head.
\n\u201cIt’s okay.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Her voice was barely audible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows we’re here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava pointed upstairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could ask another question, something crashed upstairs.<\/p>\n
The officers shouted.<\/p>\n
A loud bang followed.<\/p>\n
Then a scream.<\/p>\n
Not a child’s scream.<\/p>\n
A man’s.<\/p>\n
Every person outside looked toward the house.<\/p>\n
Dana grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
She moved toward the door.<\/p>\n
I grabbed her wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLena\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re not going back in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy job is to keep you and Ava safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my job is to keep you alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at me.<\/p>\n
For one second, neither of us moved.<\/p>\n
Then another shout came from upstairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cGET DOWN!\u201d<\/p>\n
A gunshot cracked through the house.<\/p>\n
Ava screamed.<\/p>\n
I dropped to my knees, covering her with my body.<\/p>\n
The neighbors scattered.<\/p>\n
Someone screamed outside.<\/p>\n
Police rushed toward the entrance.<\/p>\n
Dana pulled us behind the ambulance.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay down!\u201d<\/p>\n
My ears rang.<\/p>\n
I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n
Another shot.<\/p>\n
Then silence.<\/p>\n
The kind of silence that comes after something irreversible.<\/p>\n
I squeezed Ava against me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Aunt Dana okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the doorway.<\/p>\n
Dana was already inside.<\/p>\n
My heart nearly stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDana!\u201d<\/p>\n
I tried to get up.<\/p>\n
A paramedic grabbed my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cMa’am, stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s my sister!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour sister is trained.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe doesn’t care if she’s trained!\u201d<\/p>\n
I fought to stand.<\/p>\n
Then Dana appeared.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
She came down the stairs carrying something.<\/p>\n
Not a weapon.<\/p>\n
Not a person.<\/p>\n
A photograph.<\/p>\n
Her face was white.<\/p>\n
She walked directly toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone fired from the bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cGone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey escaped through the attic.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a second exit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA second exit?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHidden behind the closet.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Ava.<\/p>\n
Then back at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Lena\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found the girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
My entire body went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana didn’t answer.<\/p>\n
She handed me the photograph.<\/p>\n
It showed a little girl.<\/p>\n
Long brown hair.<\/p>\n
Pale face.<\/p>\n
Standing in front of the same dark wall we’d seen in the other photographs.<\/p>\n
On the back was written:<\/p>\n
EMILY CARTER My hands began shaking.<\/p>\n \u201cIs she alive?\u201d<\/p>\n Dana’s eyes met mine.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Ava made a small sound.<\/p>\n I immediately covered her ears.<\/p>\n Dana lowered her voice.<\/p>\n \u201cThey found human remains beneath the floorboards.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t process the words.<\/p>\n \u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey’re waiting for the forensic team.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked toward the house.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cLena?\u201d<\/p>\n I pointed toward the photograph.<\/p>\n \u201cThis picture.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook at the date.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana looked.<\/p>\n Then her expression changed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMarch 14.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEmily disappeared eighteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n I swallowed.<\/p>\n \u201cAva was born eighteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana stared at me.<\/p>\n Neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n The implication was too horrible to say aloud.<\/p>\n Then Ava whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cMommy?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked down.<\/p>\n \u201cDid Emily have a mommy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was her name?\u201d<\/p>\n I glanced at Dana.<\/p>\n We didn’t know.<\/p>\n But before either of us could answer, a police officer approached.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know who Emily’s mother is.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart jumped.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n The officer looked toward the house.<\/p>\n \u201cMarissa.\u201d<\/p>\n I thought I’d misheard him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEmily Carter was Marissa’s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n Everything inside me stopped.<\/p>\n Dana stared at the officer.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMarissa told everyone she never had children.\u201d<\/p>\n The officer nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cShe lied.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked toward the police cruiser where Marissa had been taken.<\/p>\n A woman I’d thought was simply cruel.<\/p>\n A woman I’d thought had entered Caleb’s life after our divorce.<\/p>\n A woman who had somehow become obsessed with my daughter.<\/p>\n But now there was something much darker.<\/p>\n She had a daughter.<\/p>\n That daughter disappeared.<\/p>\n And eighteen months later, Marissa entered my ex-husband’s life.<\/p>\n The exact same period when Ava was born.<\/p>\n I felt sick.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy was Marissa with Caleb?\u201d<\/p>\n The officer shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen find out.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re trying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n My voice was stronger this time.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to understand something.\u201d<\/p>\n He waited.<\/p>\n \u201cTonight wasn’t random.\u201d<\/p>\n He didn’t answer.<\/p>\n \u201cI know my daughter. I know when she’s afraid. I know when she’s confused. And whatever happened in that house wasn’t some isolated moment of anger.\u201d<\/p>\n I held up the photograph.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone has been documenting children.\u201d<\/p>\n The officer nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe found dozens.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThirty-seven.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana’s face hardened.<\/p>\n \u201cThirty-seven?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChildren?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMost appear to be.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at the house.<\/p>\n Thirty-seven.<\/p>\n Thirty-seven children.<\/p>\n Thirty-seven photographs.<\/p>\n Thirty-seven stories nobody had told me.<\/p>\n I looked at Ava.<\/p>\n And suddenly another thought struck me.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Marissa did this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t finish.<\/p>\n Dana did.<\/p>\n \u201cShe may not have done it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n The officer’s radio crackled.<\/p>\n He turned away.<\/p>\n \u201cOfficer Reynolds.\u201d<\/p>\n A voice came through.<\/p>\n \u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDetectives have arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n A pause.<\/p>\n Then the voice became urgent.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe found a second room.\u201d<\/p>\n Officer Reynolds looked toward us.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the basement.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana’s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n Another pause.<\/p>\n \u201cFiles.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of files?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMedical records.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n The officer didn’t answer immediately.<\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n \u201cChildren.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt Ava’s fingers tighten around mine.<\/p>\n I knelt.<\/p>\n \u201cSweetheart, did Marissa ever take you to the basement?\u201d<\/p>\n Ava nodded.<\/p>\n Once.<\/p>\n My heart sank.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter Daddy went to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe said she needed to check something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Ava’s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n \u201cShe measured me.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana’s expression changed.<\/p>\n \u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n Ava made a small rectangle with her fingers.<\/p>\n \u201cA little machine.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Dana.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of machine?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Ava continued.<\/p>\n \u201cShe wrote things down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy height.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy weight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n Ava thought.<\/p>\n Then whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cMy blood.\u201d<\/p>\n The world went silent.<\/p>\n I stared at my daughter.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean, your blood?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe took a little.\u201d<\/p>\n My knees weakened.<\/p>\n Dana caught my shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n Ava pointed toward the house.<\/p>\n \u201cLast Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n I remembered Tuesday.<\/p>\n Caleb had called me that night.<\/p>\n He’d said Ava was having fun.<\/p>\n He’d said she wanted to stay another night.<\/p>\n I’d believed him.<\/p>\n I’d gone to bed relieved.<\/p>\n My daughter had been in that house.<\/p>\n And someone had taken her blood.<\/p>\n I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Ava shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cShe said it was a game.\u201d<\/p>\n A police detective approached.<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Mercer?\u201d<\/p>\n I turned.<\/p>\n \u201cYour daughter’s statement changes the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat situation?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re treating this as a potential organized operation.\u201d<\/p>\n My blood went cold.<\/p>\n \u201cOrganized?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe found records connecting several children.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDifferent states.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n He hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty-three.\u201d<\/p>\n Twenty-three children.<\/p>\n Across different states.<\/p>\n I looked at Dana.<\/p>\n She was staring at the detective.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you saying Marissa is connected to all of them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut the records are here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen what are you waiting for?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need warrants for some of the digital accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana laughed once.<\/p>\n There was no humor in it.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are always one warrant away from saving somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n The detective looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand your frustration.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you don’t.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana turned toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n The detective frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cMa’am\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy niece is not staying anywhere near this house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI agree,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we need to ask her additional questions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTonight may be important.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe is five years old.\u201d<\/p>\n The detective softened.<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstood.\u201d<\/p>\n We began walking toward my car.<\/p>\n Then Ava stopped.<\/p>\n She was staring at the house.<\/p>\n \u201cMommy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s one thing I didn’t tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed toward an upstairs window.<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy knows.\u201d<\/p>\n I stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Ava’s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy knows about the pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Dana.<\/p>\n Then back at Ava.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy told Marissa not to let you find them.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n Dana whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cLena\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I didn’t answer.<\/p>\n Ava continued.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said if Mommy finds out, she’ll take me away.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart shattered.<\/p>\n \u201cYour daddy said that?\u201d<\/p>\n Ava nodded.<\/p>\n Then she whispered something else.<\/p>\n \u201cHe wasn’t scared.\u201d<\/p>\n The words hit harder than anything else that night.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe knew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKnew what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe knew about Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked toward the police cruiser where Caleb sat.<\/p>\n Suddenly, the man I’d spent years trying to understand looked completely different.<\/p>\n My ex-husband.<\/p>\n The father of my child.<\/p>\n The man I’d trusted enough to leave Ava with.<\/p>\n He knew.<\/p>\n Or at least, according to my five-year-old daughter, he knew something.<\/p>\n I walked back toward the police.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is Caleb?\u201d<\/p>\n The detective stepped in front of me.<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Mercer\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s being interviewed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need to speak with him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen tell him something for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked through the cruiser window.<\/p>\n Caleb was sitting inside.<\/p>\n His head was down.<\/p>\n I raised my voice.<\/p>\n \u201cTell him I know about Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n His head snapped up.<\/p>\n Our eyes met through the glass.<\/p>\n And I watched the color drain from his face.<\/p>\n That was all the confirmation I needed.<\/p>\n He knew.<\/p>\n He knew exactly who Emily was.<\/p>\n And he was terrified that I had finally discovered her.<\/p>\n I walked away.<\/p>\n But before I reached my car, Caleb began pounding against the cruiser window.<\/p>\n \u201cLena!\u201d<\/p>\n I stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cLena, wait!\u201d<\/p>\n I turned.<\/p>\n His face was twisted with desperation.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t trust Dana!\u201d<\/p>\n Dana stiffened beside me.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb shook his head frantically.<\/p>\n \u201cShe doesn’t know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana took one step toward the cruiser.<\/p>\n \u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cYour sister thinks she saved Ava tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n He swallowed.<\/p>\n \u201cBut she doesn’t know what happened eighteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb’s eyes moved toward Dana.<\/p>\n Then back to me.<\/p>\n \u201cShe wasn’t supposed to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n He whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cDana.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana’s face went completely still.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI can’t say it here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen where?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked toward the detective.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk her.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana’s voice dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk me what?\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb leaned toward the window.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk Dana why she was at Marissa’s house eighteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned toward my sister.<\/p>\n Dana didn’t move.<\/p>\n \u201cLena\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cWere you?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked away.<\/p>\n \u201cDana.\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n \u201cWere you there?\u201d<\/p>\n Her jaw tightened.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart sank.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn’t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you didn’t know the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat story?\u201d<\/p>\n Dana looked at the house.<\/p>\n Then at Ava.<\/p>\n Then finally at me.<\/p>\n \u201cI was looking for Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n My breath caught.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew her?\u201d<\/p>\n Dana nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n She swallowed.<\/p>\n \u201cShe came to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree days before she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Dana’s eyes filled with something I’d never seen there before.<\/p>\n Regret.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfraid of Marissa?\u201d<\/p>\n Dana shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked directly into my eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cCaleb.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n Behind us, the police continued moving in and out of the house.<\/p>\n The lights flashed.<\/p>\n The neighborhood watched.<\/p>\n Ava clung to my hand.<\/p>\n And my sister whispered the sentence that shattered every assumption I’d made about the night.<\/p>\n \u201cEmily told me your husband was buying children.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Dana’s voice cracked.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I didn’t believe her.\u201d<\/p>\n Ava suddenly screamed.<\/p>\n Everyone turned.<\/p>\n She was pointing toward the upstairs window.<\/p>\n \u201cThe girl!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat girl?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s there!\u201d<\/p>\n I looked up.<\/p>\n For one impossible second, I saw a small silhouette standing behind the glass.<\/p>\n A little girl.<\/p>\n Long hair.<\/p>\n White nightgown.<\/p>\n She lifted one hand.<\/p>\n Then pressed something against the window.<\/p>\n A photograph.<\/p>\n The police turned.<\/p>\n \u201cHEY!\u201d<\/p>\n Officers rushed inside.<\/p>\n The figure disappeared.<\/p>\n Dana grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n \u201cStay here.\u201d<\/p>\n But I couldn’t.<\/p>\n I followed.<\/p>\n Up the stairs.<\/p>\n Past the photographs.<\/p>\n Past the broken door.<\/p>\n Past the dark hallway.<\/p>\n Until I reached the room.<\/p>\n The window was open.<\/p>\n The girl was gone.<\/p>\n But the photograph remained on the floor.<\/p>\n I picked it up.<\/p>\n It was a picture of Emily.<\/p>\n On the back, someone had written:<\/p>\n SHE DIDN’T DIE HERE.<\/strong><\/p>\n My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n Then another line appeared underneath.<\/p>\n Written in fresh black ink.<\/p>\n SHE’S STILL ALIVE.<\/strong><\/p>\n I stared at the words.<\/p>\n Dana stood behind me.<\/p>\n \u201cLena\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I turned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Dana looked toward the open window.<\/p>\n \u201cThen who did they bury under the floor?\u201d<\/p>\n Before I could answer, a phone began ringing.<\/p>\n Not mine.<\/p>\n Not Dana’s.<\/p>\n A phone buried beneath the floorboards.<\/p>\n Everyone froze.<\/p>\n The ringing continued.<\/p>\n Once.<\/p>\n Twice.<\/p>\n Three times.<\/p>\n The detective slowly crouched.<\/p>\n He lifted a loose board.<\/p>\n Underneath was a black cellphone.<\/p>\n He picked it up.<\/p>\n The screen showed one incoming call.<\/p>\n No name.<\/p>\n No number.<\/p>\n Just:<\/p>\n MOM<\/strong><\/p>\n The detective answered.<\/p>\n \u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n A little girl’s voice came through the speaker.<\/p>\n Soft.<\/p>\n Terrified.<\/p>\n But unmistakably alive.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone leaned closer.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is this?\u201d the detective asked.<\/p>\n The girl whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cI’m Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n Then she said:<\/p>\n \u201cTell Lena Mercer\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n A pause.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026that Ava isn’t the first child.\u201d<\/p>\n The line went dead.<\/p>\n And before anyone could speak, a message appeared on the phone.<\/p>\n One photograph.<\/p>\n Ava.<\/p>\n Sleeping in my house.<\/p>\n Taken last night.<\/p>\n And beneath the photograph were six words:<\/p>\n
\nAGE 6
\nMARCH 14<\/strong><\/p>\n