“At our old house.”
“Who took it?”
“Mommy.”
“And who is this in the window?”
Chloe leaned over.
Her forehead wrinkled.
“I don’t know.”
Denise stood behind the couch. “Could it be a neighbor?”
“No,” Chloe said slowly. “Wait.”
She looked at the photo for a long moment.
Then her eyes widened.
“I remember him.”
Amelia felt the room tighten around her.
“Who?”
Chloe pointed to the blurred figure in the window.
“He came to our house before Daddy went away. Mommy didn’t like him.”
Amelia kept her voice calm. “Did you hear his name?”
Chloe nodded.
Denise’s hand moved to her shoulder.
“What was it, honey?”
Chloe looked up at Amelia.
“Mr. Reed.”
The words landed softly.
But they changed everything.
Amelia took the postcard to a forensic imaging expert the next morning. By noon, the background figure had been enhanced enough to confirm what Chloe remembered.
