The evidence is clear.
The villain is caught before the credits roll.
Real life is messier.
Real life is a man in work boots standing on a lawn, doing just enough to stop something before it starts.
Officer Tatum leaned forward.
“Mrs. Finch, did you get a license plate?”
I shook my head.
“I was focused on Kinsley.”
“Description?”
“Shiny black sedan. Tinted windows. Newer model. I couldn’t see the driver clearly.”
Mrs. Bell lifted her phone.
“I might have doorbell footage.”
Everyone turned to her.
She blinked, as if just remembering she had something useful.
“My camera faces the street.”
Officer Tatum nodded.
“I’ll need a copy.”
Mrs. Bell looked suddenly pleased to matter.
Then she glanced at Silas and looked away.
I wondered if she would apologize.
She didn’t.
Not then.
The meeting should have calmed things down.
Instead, it made everything more complicated.
By three o’clock, the school had sent a safety notice to parents about students sharing personal information online.
