Melinda’s POV
It started with a phone call.
I was in a planning meeting, half-listening to a pitch on modular housing when my phone vibrated with a number I didn’t recognize — but the area code made my stomach drop.
Local.
I stepped into the hall, pressing the phone to my ear, already bracing.
“This is Melinda.”
The voice on the other end wasn’t panicked.
It wasn’t angry.
It was too calm.
“Ms. Holt, this is Karen Price, vice principal at Cedarwood Elementary. We had a visitor this morning asking for your children.”
My blood ran cold.
“Elijah and Elena?”
“Yes. The individual claimed to be a family member. We didn’t release any information — security protocol. But Elijah saw him and reacted strongly. He became very upset.”
“What do you mean ‘upset’?”
“He ran. Out of the classro
