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He nodded, biting the inside of his cheek. "You're right. You're very right."
"Do you have any idea where he might be hiding?" Matt asked. "Has he contacted you?"
Mike shook his head. "No. Not a sound. I was expecting him to, but so far, he hasn't."
"Well, if he does, please let us know," I said, handing him my card. "And please tell him to turn himself in. There's nowhere he can hide."
Mike nodded again.
"Oh, and another thing,” I said, pulling out my phone. I showed him a picture of the necklace that Janet had found.
"Is this his? Do you know?"
Mike looked at the picture and then sighed. "It belonged to our father. His name was also John Baker. When our dad died, John wanted to have it. It had sentimental value for him, he said."
"Thank you," I said. “I know it can't be easy to tell us these things. But you did the right thing."
Mike's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and he nodded in acknowledgment. "I just want Rachel's family to have closure. And if John had something to do with it, I want him to pay for what he's done."
"We'll do everything we can to find him," I assured him. "And if he has nothing to hide, he should turn himself in and clear his name."
Mike nodded in agreement and showed us to the door. As we walked back to our car, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this story than we knew. John Baker was still out there, and the clock was ticking. We needed to find him—soon.
Chapter30
THEN:
Emma could barely breathe as she hugged her sister tightly, the sound of their mother's pounding on the door only making her heart race faster. She had never been so terrified in her life.
"Emma, what are we going to do?" her sister whispered, tears streaming down her face.
"I don't know," Emma whispered back, feeling helpless. She tried to think of a way out, but all she could hear was the sound of their mother's voice screaming for them to open the door.
The pounding on the door grew louder, and Emma could feel the wood shaking under the force of her mother's rage.
"Open this door right now!" their mother shouted.
Emma knew they couldn't keep the door locked forever. She had to think of something, anything, to get them out of this situation.
Emma held her sister tightly as they huddled together in the cramped bathroom. The sound of their mother's fists pounding against the wooden door reverberated through the small space, making Emma's heart race with fear. She could hear her sister's sobs and knew that she had to be strong for both of them.
"Girls, open this door right now!" their mother shouted, her fists hitting against the wood.
"It's going to be okay," Emma whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her sister's tear-stained face.
Emma's heart raced as she tried to calm her sister. She knew their mother's rage was unpredictable and explosive. She never knew what would set her off next.
"What are we going to do, Emma?" her sister whispered through her sobs. "She's going to hurt us."
Emma's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plan. She knew they couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. But she couldn't bear the thought of going back out there where their mother waited.
"Listen to me," Emma said, her voice firm. "We're going to wait in here until she calms down. And then, we're…."
But as the pounding grew louder and more insistent, Emma began to doubt her own words. She knew their mother could be unpredictable at times, and she feared what might happen if she forced her way into the bathroom.
Emma tried to distract her sister by talking about anything that came to mind. They talked about their favorite movies, their dreams for the future, and even about their childhood memories. But as the minutes stretched on, the pounding continued, and the girls began to feel trapped.
Scared and alone.
