Before he could call, a car stopped outside.
A door closed.
Footsteps crossed the porch.
Leah entered the kitchen without knocking.
She was still wearing hospital scrubs from her morning shift. Her face was pale, and her hair had been pulled into a hurried knot.
“I got your messages,” she said.
Then she saw the metal case.
She stopped.
Daniel held up the envelope.
“Do you know what this is?”
Leah’s gaze moved from the envelope to Elena.
For a moment, she looked as though she might turn around and leave.
Instead, she closed the front door behind her.
“Yes.”
Daniel broke the seal.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
He read the first line.
Then he looked at his sister.
“This says you were there on October fourteenth.”
Leah’s eyes filled with tears.
“I was.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Dad made me promise.”
