We all froze.
Not three soft knocks this time.
One hard knock.
Then another.
Daniel stepped toward me.
“Don’t open it.”
I almost laughed at the irony.
A voice came from the hallway.
Female.
“Margaret Bennett?”
I looked through the peephole.
Two police officers stood outside.
I opened the door halfway.
“Yes?”
“Are you Margaret Bennett?”
“Yes.”
The officer glanced past me at Daniel and Rebecca.
“Ma’am, we need to speak with you regarding your residence.”
My stomach dropped.
“What happened?”
“There was an incident early this morning.”
“What kind of incident?”
The officer hesitated.
Then she asked a question I never expected.
“Do you have a daughter named Emily Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“When did you last see her?”
“I’m talking to her—”
I stopped.
No.
I had been talking to someone on the phone.
I had assumed it was Emily because the voice sounded like her.
The officer’s expression hardened.
