Chapter 3 - The Missing Sister
I dropped the tablet onto the kitchen counter, my hands shaking so violently it rattled against the marble.
My younger sister, Chloe, had supposedly been out of town on a ski trip with friends for the holidays.
"Why is she with him?" Daniel asked, his voice cracking in absolute disbelief.
The police officers immediately requested Chloe's phone number and home address.
I tried calling her cell phone, but it went straight to an automated, generic voicemail.
"She isn't answering," I whispered, panic tightening my throat until it was hard to breathe.
The lead officer instructed his partner to issue a county-wide bulletin for Richard's vehicle.
"We need to get to the hospital right now," Daniel begged the officers with sheer desperation.
"You can question us there all you want, but we need to see our daughter."
The officers agreed to escort us, knowing they still considered me a primary suspect in a horrific crime.
We rushed through the freezing winter air and climbed into the back of the police cruiser.
The hospital corridors smelled intensely of harsh bleach and sterile despair.
We ran into the pediatric burn unit, where Emma was lying quietly in a small, elevated bed.
Her beautiful, innocent face was wrapped in thick, white medical bandages that made my heart shatter.
I burst into tears and fell to my knees beside her bed, completely overwhelmed by guilt.
Emma turned her head slightly and reached out her tiny, uninjured hand toward me.
"Mommy," she whispered through the heavy, sedating painkillers.
"I'm right here, sweetie," I cried, kissing her small, fragile fingers.
"Grandpa told me a secret before I opened the box," Emma murmured softly.
May you like
She took a slow, painful breath as the police officers leaned in close to listen.
"He said Aunt Chloe helped him make the special cream just for me," Emma revealed.
