I Found My Neighbor’s Twin Toddlers Hiding in My Empty Trash Can—Then Their Mother Told Me Why They Had Been Sent to Find Me

The waiting was not long by a clock.

It felt long enough for me to notice every object on my table: the crackers, the strawberries, a water cup tipped onto its side.

Chloe had left two small pieces of fruit uneaten.

I wondered whether the girls would ever finish them.

Outside, a radio crackled.

Sarah listened, then looked toward the other officer.

They had found a woman.

“She is getting help,” Sarah told the twins.