Chapter 7 - Noah's Backpack
Emily screamed Noah's name.
Daniel was out of bed before his feet found his slippers.
They ran into the hallway.
"Noah!"
No answer.
The front door stood open, cold air slipping through the gap.
Daniel's heart slammed against his ribs.
Then he heard a sniffle from the coat closet.
He ripped the door open.
Noah sat on the floor inside, fully dressed, backpack in his lap.
Emily dropped to her knees so hard they hurt.
"Oh, my God."
She pulled him against her.
"Why are you in here? Why is the door open?"
Noah started crying.
"I was gonna go Grandma's."
Daniel crouched beside them.
"At two in the morning?"
"You and Mommy mad."
Emily closed her eyes.
Noah hiccupped. "I thought maybe if I go, you not loud."
That sentence hit harder than the brick.
Daniel took the backpack and opened it.
Inside were two toy cars, three crackers in a plastic bag, a single sock, his stuffed dinosaur, and the plastic flashlight he had given Daniel.
Daniel sat on the floor.
"Buddy, listen to me. Grown-ups can disagree and still love each other. You never have to leave to fix us."
Noah wiped his nose with his sleeve.
"You fix you?"
Emily kissed his hair.
"Yes. We fix us."
Daniel secured the front door and added a chain high above Noah's reach.
They all slept in the same bed after that.
The next morning, while Emily made eggs, Noah sat on the counter telling them every item he had packed.
"Dino. Car. Other car. Crackers."
Daniel smiled. "Excellent survival plan."
"And I saw Uncle Marcus."
The spatula slipped from Emily's hand.
"What?"
Noah pointed toward the backyard.
"Uncle Marcus had red hands."
Daniel knelt in front of him.
"When did you see him?"
"Window boom day. Before boom. He was by fence."
"Red hands?"
Noah shook his head impatiently.
"Red hand clothes."
Emily understood.
"Gloves?"
Noah nodded. "Red gloves."
Daniel called Ramirez.
An hour later, the officer returned with evidence photos from the basement.
"We found a torn piece of material caught on the metal cabinet," he said.
He showed them a close-up.
Bright red synthetic rubber.
"Looks like part of a work glove."
Daniel's phone buzzed.
A security alert from the new front camera.
Someone was standing on the porch.
It was Marcus.
May you like
And he was smiling directly into the lens.
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