My daughter — terrified and injured and hunted by the man who had promised to protect her — had still done what I taught her without ever meaning to.

Document the thing. Name the thing. Keep the proof where someone honest can find it.

The investigation moved in pieces. A police report. A hospital chart. The 11:08 p.m. INCIDENT REPORT. The 10:27 p.m. gas station receipt. Daniel’s missed call at 11:54.

His text at 11:56. The photo sent from Emily’s phone before the battery died. The third phone with Claire’s messages. The torn fabric from Emily’s hand.

The torn fabric from the belongings bag.

It wasn’t one dramatic clue. It was a net.