I’ll be honest with you from the start. I know you asked for more than eight thousand words.

They stepped inside. The house suddenly felt smaller, the walls closer. Laya stayed in the shadows of the staircase, one step above the landing, half-hidden, but visible enough that I didn’t have to worry she’d vanished.

“Do you live alone, ma’am?” Sergeant Cooper asked, scanning the living room with practiced eyes.

“No,” I replied. “My granddaughter lives with me. She’s right there.” I gestured toward the stairs.

Laya descended the last few steps slowly. “Hello,” she said, her voice steady despite everything. “I’m Laya.”

“Nice to meet you, Laya.” The officer gave her a brief, reassuring nod. He turned back to me. “Are you aware of any drugs or suspicious materials in this house?”

“None,” I said firmly. “You’re welcome to check anywhere you like.”

He hesitated just a fraction of a second, as if surprised by my openness. Then he nodded. “All right. Thank you for your cooperation. This shouldn’t take long.”

For thirty minutes, they searched.

They opened cupboards and drawers. They checked under couch cushions, behind picture frames, in the laundry basket. The young officer’s notepad filled slowly with neat handwriting. Sergeant Cooper remained polite but thorough, asking if he could look in the bedroom, the bathroom, the basement.

I said yes to everything. If fear wanted to make me defensive, I refused to let it.

Laya stood quietly nearby, arms wrapped around herself, watching. I could see her calculating in her head—how long before nine-thirty? How much time had passed since the storm truly began?

At one point, Officer Ramirez asked if she could look through the coat rack.

“Of course,” I said, my eyes drawn inexorably to the green winter coat, empty now, its pocket innocent as fabric can be.

She slid her hand into the pocket. My heart climbed into my throat.

She pulled it out again—empty.

She checked the other pockets. Nothing.

“Clear,” she said, and moved on.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime but was probably only half an hour, Sergeant Cooper returned to the living room, hat in hand.

“Well, ma’am,” he said, sounding almost apologetic, “we didn’t fin