Daniel stared at the disconnected phone.
Rebecca gripped the back of a chair.
The two police officers remained completely still.
I was the first person to move.
“Call him back.”
Daniel blinked.
“What?”
“Call him back!”
He did.
The number returned an automated message.
Disconnected.
I turned toward Rebecca.
“You knew.”
“No.”
“You knew he might be alive.”
“I swear I didn’t.”
“Then why do you look terrified instead of shocked?”
“Because that was Michael’s voice.”
One of the officers stepped toward us.
“Mrs. Bennett, we need everyone to remain calm.”
I laughed.
“My daughter is missing, someone has been photographing my house, and the husband I buried six years ago just called me. Which part of that situation deserves calm?”
The officer had no answer.
Then Daniel’s phone buzzed.
A text message.
Union Station. 4 PM.
Below it:
Come alone, Maggie.
Then a third line appeared.
Emily is safe—for now.
