Another pause. Longer this time.
“What is this about.”
I don’t hesitate.
“Someone took Lia.”
The line goes quiet. Not disconnected. Just quiet.
When she speaks again, the irritation is gone.
“Send me everything you have,” she says. “Names, articles, anything.”
“I will.”
The call ends.
I move immediately, pulling together what I remember, the name of the paper, the mention I stored away, sending it all through without slowing down.
Then I start pacing.
I don’t think about it.
My body just moves.
Back and forth across the room, the phone still in my hand, the certainty sitting heavy in my chest, not fading, not shifting.
If anything, it sharpens.
I call Evelyn.
She answers quickly.
“Jackson? Is there news?”
“No,” I say, and I drag a hand through my hair, forcing myself to stay on track. “But I found something.”
She goes quiet.
“What.”
“I think Paul took her.”
The silence on the other end changes.
“…Paul?” she says. “Her ex?”
“Yeah.”
My grip tightens on the phone.
“I need you to tell me everything you know about him.”
There’s no hesitation.
“I’ll be right over.”
The line goes dead.
