“Mommy, what is that sound,” she asked.
Abigail forced calm into her voice even as her stomach twisted.
“It is okay, love. We are just going to the car.”
They hurried down the porch steps. Abigail fumbled with her keys, hands shaking as she unlocked the doors. Sophie climbed into the back seat and fastened her seatbelt with the careful seriousness of a child who sensed something wrong. Abigail started the engine and pulled away from the curb just as flashes of red and blue light painted the houses behind them.
She turned onto the next street and looked into the rearview mirror. Police vehicles surrounded Natalie’s home. Officers in dark uniforms moved quickly toward the front door. Black vans without markings arrived from both ends of the road. Neighbors stepped outside in slippers and pajamas, staring in confusion. No one seemed to understand what was happening, including Abigail herself.
Her phone rang again. Evan’s name lit up the screen.
“Are you out,” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I am driving away. What is going on, Evan. Why are the police at my sister’s house.”