Page 100 of The Advocate’s Ultimatum

“Yes, and I spoke with him.”

“What’s his story now?”

“He says he was supposed to pick up Hannah, but he went to the bar, lost track of time, and when he got home, she wasn’t there.”

Yvonne shook her head. “He lied to me. He said he would be at home, that he wasn’t going anywhere. But instead, he went to a bar. I had asked him to pick her up because she didn’t like walking home. He said he would. But, instead, he went out drinking first.”

“Did Hannah know he was coming?”

“No,” Yvonne said. “That’s the thing. She didn’t.”

JP’s attention sharpened. “You’re sure?”

Yvonne met his eyes. “If she had known, she would’ve probably walked home with the neighbors. She didn’t want anything to do with Victor.”

“What time did you get home?” JP asked.

“Later than I should’ve been. Work ran over.”

“And Hayes?”

Yvonne let out a breath through her nose. “He was passed out on the couch.”

JP didn’t move.

“I walked in, and the house was quiet,” she said. “Too quiet.”

“What did you do?” JP asked.

“I called for her. When Hannah didn’t answer, I checked her room. It was empty.” Her voice didn’t break. It flattened. “I went back out and woke him up.”

JP could see it now, the way she was remembering it, not as a story, but as something she was standing inside again.

“He didn’t wake up right away,” she said. “I had to shake him.”

“What did you say?”

“I asked him where she was. He looked at me like I was the one who didn’t make sense.”

“He said he picked her up,” Yvonne continued. “Said he stopped at a liquor store on the way home and didn’t remember much after that.”

“He didn’t remember bringing her home?”

Yvonne shook her head. “He said he thought she was in her room.”

“What did you do next?”

“I checked again. I ran through every room and outside in the yard. She was gone.” Her hands tightened against her arms. “I went back to him and asked him again. He kept saying the same thing. That he picked her up. That she was home.”

“When did you call the police?” JP asked.

Yvonne hesitated. “Later.”

JP watched her. “Why not right away?”

Yvonne looked at him, something sharp in her expression now. “Because I thought she came home and left again. Because that made more sense than anything he was saying.”

JP didn’t respond.