"Ms. Lindsey, I'm so sorry for your loss. We need you to come to the station as soon as possible."
When the police officer said those words, I was floating beside my mother, reaching out to steady the glass of water trembling on the table.
My mother let out a scream so sharp it seemed to split the room in two. "That's impossible!"
My hand passed straight through the glass.
"You have the wrong person! This has to be some kind of mistake! My daughter only went out for a little while! She'll be back soon! She..."
I froze there in midair and stared at the panic on my mother's face. I had never seen her look like that before.
'What's the officer talking about?'
'What did he mean by sorry for your loss?'
"We found the child's backpack at the scene. Please come identify it."
The phone sl
