Chapter 10 - The Knock at the Door
I pulled back, wiping my eyes, and stood up from the floor.
“Stay here with Leo and Chloe,” I told Maya softly, offering her an encouraging nod before walking down the quiet hallway toward the front entrance.
The Savannah police officers had finished gathering their initial evidence, but through the frosted glass panel of the front door, I could see the silhouette of someone else standing on the porch. Not a uniform. Someone wearing a sharp, tailored coat, holding a leather briefcase.
I turned the lock and pulled the door open.
A middle-aged woman with sharp, intelligent eyes and a tired, professional expression stood on the porch, holding out a laminated badge.
“Mrs. Jenkins? My name is Evelyn Vance—no relation to the man they just arrested,” she added quickly, noting the flicker of tension in my eyes. “I’m a senior caseworker with the Chatham County Department of Family and Children Services. The police captain briefed me on what happened here this morning.”
My shoulders tightened instinctively, my protective instincts flaring back to life. “If you’re here to take Leo and Chloe away to some state facility—”
“I’m not here to take anyone anywhere by force, Mrs. Jenkins,” Evelyn interrupted, her voice surprisingly warm and steady. She lowered her briefcase slightly, looking past me into the quiet hallway. “In fact, what your daughter managed to do for three weeks without any resources is astonishing. But that’s not why I’m standing on your porch.”
She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a manila folder, sliding it onto the small entry table.
“About an hour ago, while processing the suspect downtown, police searched his vehicle,” Evelyn continued, her gaze locking onto mine with a gravity that made my stomach drop. “They found something inside his glove compartment. Something that suggests Ray Vance wasn't just tracking these kids—he was looking for something they accidentally stole from him the night they ran away.”
May you like
She tapped the corner of the manila folder.
“A ledger belonging to an illegal trafficking ring operating right here in Savannah. And according to these documents, your ex-husband’s name is at the very top of the payroll.”
