—”Emily, listen to me. The police are on the way. They’re coming right now.”
A tiny sob crackled through the speaker.
—”He’s coming up the stairs…”
Claire’s heart slammed once against her ribs.
—”Emily—”
The line went dead.
By the time Daniel and María pulled onto Maplewood Drive, the whole street looked painfully normal. Porch lights glowed warm against neat lawns. A white fence lined the front of the house. A swing set stood motionless in the backyard.
It looked like the kind of place where children left bicycles in the grass and neighbors borrowed sugar.
That was what made it worse.
María knocked first.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Then the door opened.
A tall man in his forties stood there in jeans and a gray T-shirt, his expression calm enough to seem practiced.
—”Evening, officers.”
Daniel kept his eyes on him.
—”We received a 911 call from this address.”
