I did everything a loving mother is supposed to do to keep her children feeling safe and secure.

Yet underneath my calm surface, a terrifying storm of anxiety and suspicion was raging inside me.

Once all the girls were safely asleep, I went back to the kitchen table and picked up the envelope holding Brandon’s hidden note.

As I held the paper up to the warm light of the lamp, I suddenly noticed something I had missed before.

The small plastic sleeve that had protected the paper had a tight double fold at the very bottom.