\u201cWHY ARE YOU HERE? THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE YOU!\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina Marlowe stood inside my front door.<\/p>\n
Her voice rang against the high ceilings.<\/p>\n
Then the grocery bag split.<\/p>\n
Three red apples bounced across the marble floor.<\/p>\n
A jar of preserves struck the leg of the console table.<\/p>\n
Glass scattered everywhere.<\/p>\n
Milk poured from a crushed carton.<\/p>\n
Regina didn't notice.<\/p>\n
She was looking directly at me.<\/p>\n
I sat on our cream sofa.<\/p>\n
My tea had gone cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Her mouth opened.<\/p>\n
Closed.<\/p>\n
She looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cTessa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Regina?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you surprised?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened around the brass doorknob.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething terrible happened downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remained seated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA woman was taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTaken where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear the bank. On Boylston Street.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKidnapped?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone called.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes that matter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina pulled the door shut.<\/p>\n
She stepped around the broken glass.<\/p>\n
Her cream leather shoes sank into spilled milk.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn't reach you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
I looked at my phone.<\/p>\n
No missed calls.<\/p>\n
No messages.<\/p>\n
Nothing from Regina.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn't try.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI most certainly did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps you called the wrong number.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have had a dreadful afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo have I.\u201d<\/p>\n
She studied my face.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
Then I asked the question I'd been waiting to ask.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere's Brynn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless you have another one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you asking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she borrowed my coat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina stopped moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat coat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy red cashmere one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The color left her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wouldn't wear that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina braced herself against the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did she go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLunch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Nathaniel Pierce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Bellini's, near the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
A terrible silence settled between us.<\/p>\n
I could hear milk dripping from the edge of the console.<\/p>\n
Regina reached into her handbag.<\/p>\n
Her phone slipped between her fingers.<\/p>\n
She caught it.<\/p>\n
Dialed.<\/p>\n
Waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, Brynn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Voicemail.<\/p>\n
She called again.<\/p>\n
And again.<\/p>\n
Each attempt ended the same way.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps she's enjoying her date,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Regina turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShut up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said stop talking!\u201d<\/p>\n
She paced toward the fireplace.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered something.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey took the wrong girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
She froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho took the wrong girl?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never said that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're imagining things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I?\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached beneath the sofa cushion.<\/p>\n
The small black phone felt heavier than it should have.<\/p>\n
Its screen was cracked.<\/p>\n
Silver tape covered the charging port.<\/p>\n
Regina stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you get that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour balcony.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's private property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, the balcony belongs to this townhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
She took a step toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I held it away.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, explain the messages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat messages?\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened the conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFriday. Three fifteen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina's eyes closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWoman in red. Outside the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMake certain she doesn't return home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTessa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPayment after confirmation.\u201d<\/p>\n
She reached for me.<\/p>\n
I stepped aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake it look like an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina's hand trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand someone accepted money.\u201d<\/p>\n
I read the reply.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdvance received. Target confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the front door.<\/p>\n
Then the windows.<\/p>\n
Then the phone.<\/p>\n
I wondered whether she would strike me.<\/p>\n
Instead, she whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no idea what you've done.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
At least, I understood enough.<\/p>\n
My sister-in-law was missing.<\/p>\n
And my mother-in-law had apparently paid someone to make me disappear.<\/p>\n
The rest had begun that morning.<\/p>\n
At eight fifteen, Brynn had arrived carrying two coffees.<\/p>\n
She let herself in with the key Julian had given her years earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cTessa?\u201d<\/p>\n
I was upstairs folding laundry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
She appeared in my doorway wearing jeans and an oversized sweater.<\/p>\n
Her blond hair was pinned into a careless knot.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look terrible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning to you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven't been sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree hours doesn't count.\u201d<\/p>\n
She handed me a coffee.<\/p>\n
It was still warm.<\/p>\n
Brynn had always been the less polished Marlowe.<\/p>\n
Regina cared about appearances.<\/p>\n
Brynn cared about whether the coffee was strong.<\/p>\n
Our relationship had never been simple.<\/p>\n
She could be generous.<\/p>\n
She could also be spectacularly selfish.<\/p>\n
But unlike Regina, she occasionally apologized.<\/p>\n
\u201cBig date today,\u201d she announced.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathaniel finally made a reservation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe orthopedic surgeon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also hikes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn important qualification.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd apparently owns a boat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes the boat have a medical degree?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brynn laughed.<\/p>\n
For a moment, things felt normal.<\/p>\n
Then her eyes moved toward the wardrobe.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew that expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven't asked anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're about to.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe red coat.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the open wardrobe.<\/p>\n
Julian's gift hung in its usual place.<\/p>\n
Deep crimson cashmere.<\/p>\n
Dark buttons.<\/p>\n
A narrow belt.<\/p>\n
I hadn't worn it since his funeral.<\/p>\n
The coat had been expensive.<\/p>\n
But its value had nothing to do with money.<\/p>\n
Julian bought it for my thirty-fifth birthday.<\/p>\n
He brought it home in a long white box.<\/p>\n
He had looked almost embarrassed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw it in the window,\u201d he told me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd thought you'd look beautiful in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remember laughing.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian, it's probably more expensive than my car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour car is eleven years old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't the point.\u201d<\/p>\n
He held the coat against my shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always choose practical things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody has to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust this once, choose something because you love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wore it to dinner that evening.<\/p>\n
He kept looking across the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was right.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had never forgotten his expression.<\/p>\n
Six months later, he was dead.<\/p>\n
Since then, touching the coat had felt unbearable.<\/p>\n
Brynn noticed my hesitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cForget it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it's fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTessa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can wear it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust bring it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hugged me.<\/p>\n
Not dramatically.<\/p>\n
Just one quick squeeze.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled it from the hanger.<\/p>\n
When she put it on, the sleeves were slightly long.<\/p>\n
She turned toward the mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, Julian had excellent taste.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
She fastened the belt.<\/p>\n
Then she noticed the cuff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's a little repair here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI caught it on the garden gate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBarely visible.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smoothed the fabric.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n
I watched her leave my bedroom.<\/p>\n
At the time, my biggest concern was coffee spilling on cashmere.<\/p>\n
I wish that had remained my biggest concern.<\/p>\n
Twenty minutes later, the prepaid phone vibrated upstairs.<\/p>\n
I had discovered it two evenings earlier.<\/p>\n
Regina had been visiting.<\/p>\n
She'd gone onto the balcony to make a call.<\/p>\n
When she left, I went outside to bring in a plant before the temperature dropped.<\/p>\n
The terracotta pot was heavy.<\/p>\n
As I moved it, something scraped against the tiles.<\/p>\n
A phone.<\/p>\n
Black.<\/p>\n
Cheap.<\/p>\n
Cracked.<\/p>\n
Hidden behind the planter.<\/p>\n
I assumed Regina had misplaced it.<\/p>\n
I was about to return it when the screen illuminated.<\/p>\n
A message appeared.<\/p>\n
FRIDAY. THREE FIFTEEN. WOMAN IN RED.<\/p>\n
I stared at the words.<\/p>\n
Then the rest arrived.<\/p>\n
Outside the bank.<\/p>\n
Make certain she doesn't come home.<\/p>\n
My hands turned cold.<\/p>\n
I knew Regina disliked me.<\/p>\n
But dislike was one thing.<\/p>\n
Those instructions suggested something considerably worse.<\/p>\n
I took photographs with my own phone.<\/p>\n
Then I examined the conversation.<\/p>\n
The sender was saved as MARTIN.<\/p>\n
There were earlier messages.<\/p>\n
Most were brief.<\/p>\n
Payment.<\/p>\n
Location.<\/p>\n
Timing.<\/p>\n
A few had been deleted.<\/p>\n
One exchange remained.<\/p>\n
REGINA: Make it look accidental.<\/p>\n
MARTIN: Advance received. Target confirmed.<\/p>\n
Another mentioned a photograph.<\/p>\n
I scrolled upward.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
A picture of me wearing Julian's red coat.<\/p>\n
It had been taken outside the townhouse.<\/p>\n
From across the street.<\/p>\n
I recognized the photograph's date.<\/p>\n
Three weeks earlier.<\/p>\n
I had worn the coat for the first time since the funeral.<\/p>\n
Only because the weather had turned suddenly cold.<\/p>\n
And someone had been watching.<\/p>\n
I stood on the balcony for several minutes.<\/p>\n
Cars passed below.<\/p>\n
A dog barked across the square.<\/p>\n
Nothing looked unusual.<\/p>\n
That frightened me.<\/p>\n
I called the police.<\/p>\n
Detective Lena Ortiz met me the following morning.<\/p>\n
She was compact, observant, and impatient with vague answers.<\/p>\n
She asked about Julian.<\/p>\n
About Regina.<\/p>\n
About the estate.<\/p>\n
And about whether anyone else knew I owned the coat.<\/p>\n
\u201cHalf of Boston's charity committees,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Ortiz didn't smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas your mother-in-law threatened you directly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat has she done?\u201d<\/p>\n
I told her.<\/p>\n
The constant calls.<\/p>\n
The demands for financial records.<\/p>\n
The suggestion that I sell the townhouse.<\/p>\n
Her insistence that I sign an agreement surrendering any claim to Julian's family trust.<\/p>\n
Ortiz listened without interrupting.<\/p>\n
Then she asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have the agreement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't destroy anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I showed her the phone.<\/p>\n
She examined its screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you altered the messages?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you reply?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
She photographed the device.<\/p>\n
Then arranged for a specialist to preserve its contents.<\/p>\n
She explained that we needed to identify Martin.<\/p>\n
And understand whether the threatened kidnapping was genuine.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you arrest Regina?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot on assumptions alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut those messages\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey're serious evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
She met my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to establish who sent them, who received them, and what actions followed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted immediate certainty.<\/p>\n
Instead, she gave me instructions.<\/p>\n
Don't confront Regina.<\/p>\n
Don't visit the bank.<\/p>\n
Don't wear the coat on Friday.<\/p>\n
And call immediately if anyone else became involved.<\/p>\n
I had agreed.<\/p>\n
Then Brynn arrived.<\/p>\n
And borrowed the coat.<\/p>\n
At nine thirty that morning, I called Detective Ortiz.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrynn has it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHas what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe red coat.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she going?\u201d<\/p>\n
I told her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you reach her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll try.\u201d<\/p>\n
I called Brynn.<\/p>\n
She answered while driving.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm fine, Tessa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to take the coat off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you having second thoughts?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I'll return it tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrynn, listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Traffic sounded behind her voice.<\/p>\n
Then she said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm parking. Call you later.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line disconnected.<\/p>\n
I tried again.<\/p>\n
Voicemail.<\/p>\n
I sent a message.<\/p>\n
PLEASE TAKE OFF THE RED COAT. CALL ME.<\/p>\n
No reply.<\/p>\n
Ortiz called back.<\/p>\n
Her voice had changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're sending officers toward the restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know who Martin is?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat should I do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRemain inside your house.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
At eleven, I called Brynn again.<\/p>\n
At noon, I checked her location.<\/p>\n
She had stopped sharing it months earlier.<\/p>\n
At one, I called the restaurant.<\/p>\n
A hostess confirmed the reservation.<\/p>\n
But she couldn't tell me whether Brynn had arrived.<\/p>\n
At two, I began pacing.<\/p>\n
At three ten, Ortiz called.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe located a suspicious vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrynn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven't confirmed anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could hear voices behind her.<\/p>\n
A radio.<\/p>\n
Someone giving directions.<\/p>\n
\u201cTessa, stay where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
At three twenty-five, another call came.<\/p>\n
A black van had escaped surveillance near a parking garage.<\/p>\n
They had not found Brynn.<\/p>\n
I sat down.<\/p>\n
My hands were shaking.<\/p>\n
When the doorbell rang, I nearly dropped my phone.<\/p>\n
It was Regina.<\/p>\n
She used her key before I reached the door.<\/p>\n
And screamed when she saw me.<\/p>\n
Now she stood in the wreckage of her groceries.<\/p>\n
The prepaid phone was between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me where Brynn is,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me who Martin is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina looked toward the street.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won't hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn't supposed to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
She stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWasn't supposed to what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina pressed her hands over her mouth.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou arranged this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou paid him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour daughter is missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't lecture me about my daughter!\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice cracked.<\/p>\n
I had never seen her like this.<\/p>\n
She was always composed.<\/p>\n
Even at Julian's funeral.<\/p>\n
Especially at Julian's funeral.<\/p>\n
She had stood beside his coffin in black silk.<\/p>\n
Accepting condolences.<\/p>\n
Correcting the flower arrangements.<\/p>\n
Telling me which guests required personal acknowledgment.<\/p>\n
I remembered thinking she was remarkably controlled.<\/p>\n
Now that control was gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall Martin,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe'll know something went wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething did go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina covered her face.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, she didn't move.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis wasn't supposed to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the phone again.<\/p>\n
My tea sat untouched.<\/p>\n
The clock above the fireplace ticked steadily.<\/p>\n
Somewhere outside, a truck reversed.<\/p>\n
An ordinary Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Except my sister-in-law had disappeared.<\/p>\n
And my mother-in-law was afraid of the man she had hired.<\/p>\n
The burner phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
Regina flinched.<\/p>\n
An unfamiliar number filled the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't answer,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
I pressed the button.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
A rough male voice responded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Marlowe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the woman in red.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach clenched.<\/p>\n
Behind him came a muffled cry.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, we need to discuss the mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat mistake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe woman isn't who we expected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Brynn screamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMY NAME IS BRYNN MARLOWE!\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina lunged toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrynn!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom? Mom, is that you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cTHEY SAID YOU HIRED THEM!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetheart, listen\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPLEASE DON'T LET THEM KILL ME!\u201d<\/p>\n
The caller swore.<\/p>\n
Something struck a hard surface.<\/p>\n
I heard movement.<\/p>\n
A door.<\/p>\n
Then a second male voice.<\/p>\n
Quieter.<\/p>\n
Hoarse.<\/p>\n
But terribly familiar.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegina?\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand went numb.<\/p>\n
I had heard that voice every morning for twelve years.<\/p>\n
I had heard it whisper goodnight.<\/p>\n
Argue about groceries.<\/p>\n
Sing badly in the shower.<\/p>\n
I had heard it tell me he loved me.<\/p>\n
For six months, I had replayed his final voicemail.<\/p>\n
Now that voice came from the kidnappers' phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMother,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't let them hurt Brynn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regina looked at me.<\/p>\n
All the anger disappeared from her face.<\/p>\n
She sank to her knees.<\/p>\n
And whispered one name.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian.\u201d<\/p>\n
END PART 1<\/p>\n