Chapter 4 - THE DANGEROUS MAN FROM THE PASTAs Detective Vance carefully unfolded the letter and read excerpts aloud, the chilling reality of our existence began to unravel. Mom had written that a dangerously powerful man from her past had spent years hunting her down across multiple states. She had kept us hidden in the remote woods to protect us from his vengeance, living off canned goods and rainwater during the worst winters.
Near the end of the letter, the tone shifted from desperate to resolute. Mom had written down a name—a name she prayed the authorities would find before it was too late. And according to her notes, that man had recently discovered our address through a security leak in a neighboring county.
The detective suddenly stopped reading. His eyes flicked up to meet mine, filled with a sudden, profound horror. He stood up abruptly, walked out into the brightly lit hospital hallway, and pulled out his radio to make an urgent, encrypted call to his precinct commander.
May you like
When he returned a moment later, his expression was entirely transformed. "Emma," he said, pulling a folded photograph from his inner jacket pocket. "We need to ask you about someone your mother knew very well. Do you recognize this man?"
I looked down at the photograph. My breath caught in my throat, and my blood turned instantly to ice. I recognized the face immediately.
