Thursday
Last Thursday began like any ordinary day.
I dropped Leo off at kindergarten at 8:15, kissed the top of his curls, and went home to work from the kitchen table while Lily played in the next room.
At noon, my phone rang. It was the school secretary.
“Hi, Mrs. Carter. Your mother-in-law picked up Leo about an hour ago because of a family emergency. We just wanted to make sure everything was all right.”
My blood went cold. “What family emergency?”
“She said there was a medical situation and she needed to get Leo immediately. She had ID and she’s on the approved pickup list, so we released him to her.”
I thanked her, hung up, and called Brenda immediately. No answer.
I called again. And again. Straight to voicemail.
I texted Mark
