The room remained frozen.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
The elderly woman stood just inside the doorway, her small suitcase resting by her feet.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Finally, Marcus broke the silence.
“Close the door.”
Captain Ryan shut it quietly.
Marcus kept his voice calm.
“If you’re really Grace…”
“…tell us something only Sarah would know.”
The woman smiled sadly.
“Fair enough.”
She looked at Emily.
“When you were little, you refused to sleep unless your mother sang the same lullaby twice.”
Emily’s heart skipped.
“My mom sang Silent Night.”
Grace shook her head.
“That was the second song.”
“The first one was…”
She began humming softly.
It was an old folk lullaby.
A melody Emily hadn’t heard since she was a child.
She didn’t remember the words.
O
