My grandson came home shaking, wrapped his arms around me, and whispered, “My parents left me in the car for two hours while they ate.” I said nothing. I took my keys, went straight to their house, stepped inside, and made one call that changed everything.

Jenna exhaled impatiently. “He had the tablet. The doors were locked. The car was right outside the window.”

I turned to her. “And when he got scared?”

She didn’t answer.

“Owen,” I said evenly, “what happened when you got scared?”

He stared at the floor. “I honked the horn.”

Eric stiffened. “You heard the horn?”

Jenna looked away. “People were staring.”

For a moment, the room tilted. “So you did hear him.”

“It was embarrassing,” she said, and the second the words left her mouth, Eric looked at her like he didn’t recognize her.

I raised my phone and dialed 911.