She asked small grounding questions—wall color, favorite stuffed animal, whether the TV was on. Lily answered each one, clinging to Mara’s voice like a lifeline.
Before the officers arrived, Mara asked the question that wouldn’t leave her mind.
“Lily… can you tell me what your bed looks like right now?”
A long silence.
“It’s scary,” Lily whispered. “It doesn’t look like my bed anymore.”
The patrol car rolled slowly down Cedar Lane, headlights sweeping across quiet lawns. Officer Daniel Price drove, jaw tight, instincts on edge. Beside him, Officer Renee Walker listened to dispatch updates through her earpiece.
Silent calls were usually the worst.
They parked without sirens. The house was dark except for a faint light in a back room. A metal bolt was visible—mounted high on the outside of a bedroom door.
“That shouldn’t be there,” Renee muttered.
Daniel knocked. After a moment, the door opened to reveal Eric Nolan, tired, irritated, trying too hard to look calm.
“We received a 911 call from this address,” Daniel said evenly. “Is a child named Lily here?”
Eric sighed. “Yeah. She overreacts. Big imagination.”
“We need to see her,” Renee said.
Reluctantly, Eric stepped aside.