He lowered himself onto the top runner, his knees bent sharply against the hallway baseboard.

María stepped past him into the upstairs hall without meeting his eyes, her shoulder radio clicking against the clip on her collar as she unhooked her heavy flashlight.

The child’s bedroom door stood half open on a heavy brass hinge that groaned under the weight of a damp bath towel hung over the top of the frame.

A small pink fleece blanket was jammed in the doorway, its frayed edge stretched tight as though it had been dragged out of the room into the dark hall.

María stepped across the threshold, sweeping her narrow flashlight beam over the beige plush carpet.