Travis.”
“I know who he is.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Ryan’s jaw tightened.
“You trust people too easily.”
I told myself he was simply an overprotective father. Emma was our only child, and Ryan worried about everything from strangers to school buses.
So I let it go.
For three weeks, everything went smoothly.
Every afternoon, Travis walked Emma home.
Every afternoon, she was there when I returned.
She loved those walks and talked about them constantly at dinner.
“Travis showed me how motorcycle engines work.”
“Travis says crows remember faces.”
“Travis knows how to whistle with two fingers.”
Then, on a Tuesday, everything changed.
I was at my desk when my phone rang.
“Ma’am, can you come to school right now?”
I stood immediately. “Is Emma okay?”
There was a pause.
“Emma is okay…” Then her voice dropped. “It’s about the man who picks her up.”
Every warning Ryan had
