“My room. No, not my room.” Another shaky breath. “I ran back. He keeps it in the blue room upstairs. Please don’t let him hear me.”
The blue room.
That detail lodged in Claire’s mind for reasons she couldn’t explain. She heard footsteps in the background then, heavy and deliberate, and every muscle in her body locked.
Emily gasped.
“Emily?” Claire said, louder now.
The line went dead.
Claire was already talking before the disconnect tone finished.
“Unit 24 and 31, child in immediate danger, father still inside, possible illegal constrictor on premises, caller disconnected after mention of upstairs room. Expedite.”
Officer Daniel Harris was behind the wheel when the update came through. Beside him, Officer Maria Lopez was already scanning the fresh notes on the dash-mounted screen, her jaw tightening the further she read.
“Snake?” Daniel muttered.
