“A private number called me not long ago,” Charles said. “He said his name was George. He was talking about me hiding Ivy and said he would involve the police if I didn’t release his daughter. Everything he said got me so confused, I didn’t even understand what he meant.”
As soon as I heard Charles say all that, fear gripped me. I started wondering how George even got his number. It was obvious Charles needed to know what was going on, but at that moment, I didn’t even know how to put my words together to explain who George was. Charles noticed the silence over the phone and cleared his throat to get my attention.
“You said George called you?” I asked, my voice barely steady.
“Yes,” he said, his tone tense, like he’d been holding back a lot.
“I — George is…” I stammered. I couldn’t eve
