She tried Ellie, again.
More nothing.
* * * *
Nora climbed the stairs to her apartment. The building felt different this afternoon—almost unnerving. Each flight of stairs, each landing were potential hiding places for a killer. When she reached her door, she was drenched in sweat, and her keys slipped through her fingers. She picked them up, tried again, and finally managed the lock.
“Ellie?”
She walked inside, flicked the deadbolt. The couch was empty. Ellie’s books were stacked on the coffee table next to Nora’s snow globe. A cutting board with a knife and apple leftovers were there too, her daughter’s version of lunch.
“Ellie!”
Nora went to her daughter’s bedroom. She wasn’t there. Nora tried Ellie’s phone again.
Please pick up.
One ring, two…four.
“Mom?”
Nora’s breath caught
