My Son and His Wife Took Their Son on a $20K Cruise, Leaving Their Daughter Home — By Noon, I Was Standing at Their Table

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Chapter 3

THEME:
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My grip on the pistol in my pocket tightened. I unlocked the door and pushed it open. Mia, I called out. My voice boomed in the entryway. Silence. I flipped the light switch. Nothing happened. The power was out. No, not out. shut off. I could see the breakers on the wall panel near the kitchen were flipped.

Who shuts off the power when they leave a child at home? I used the flashlight on my phone. The beam cut through the stale air. The house felt abandoned. It had that smell of a place where life had stopped. I moved toward the stairs, but then I remembered my order. The closet. I took the stairs two at a time.

I went straight to Mia’s room. It was the smallest room in the house. The guest room was bigger. The office was bigger. Leo’s room, the biological son, was twice this size, filled with every toy imaginable. Mia’s room was bare. A bed, a dresser. Mia, it is Grandpa. The closet door creaked open. A tiny figure emerged from the shadows.

She was clutching a teddy bear that had seen better days. Its ear was torn and the stuffing was coming out. I recognized it. I had bought it for her the day the adoption was finalized 3 years ago. It was the only toy I could see in the room. She launched herself at me. She was trembling so violently her teeth were chattering.

I holstered my weapon and scooped her up. She felt light, too light, like a bird that had not eaten in days. Shh, I have got you. I held her tight, feeling her tears soak into my flannel shirt. You are safe now. I carried her downstairs. I needed to understand where were they. People do not just vanish. I walked into the kitchen.

The beam of my flashlight swept across the marble countertops Monica was so proud of. That was when I saw it. A piece of yellow notebook paper taped to the refrigerator. My hand shook as I pulled it off. I shined the light on the handwriting. It was Monica’s loopy artistic script, the kind she used for her thank you cards.

Mia, we have taken Leo to a special training camp for his baseball team. It was last minute. We will be gone for 2 weeks. There is bread on the counter. Do not go outside. The neighbors will call the police if they see you wandering around and they will take you away to a bad place. Be good.

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