Everything inside me froze.
“What?”
“She’s alive, Mrs. Hale.”
I stared at her.
Those were the words I had prayed to hear for 365 days.
But hearing them didn’t bring relief.
Not yet.
“Where is she?”
Kendra wiped her tears away.
“She told me to give you the phone first.”
“I don’t care what she told you. Where is my child?”
“Please. Just look at the last picture. She said once you see it, you’ll understand why she left.”
iframe
My hands were shaking so violently that I nearly dropped the phone.
The battery was charged.
Kendra gave me the passcode.
I opened the gallery.
The final photo showed someone walking away from the campground.
Gray hoodie.
Jeans.
Mallory’s white sneakers.
At first, I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.
Then Kendra whispered, “Zoom in.”
I did.
The girl’s face was turned slightly toward the camera.
