A three AM phone call about a locked room changed everything

three-beat pattern.

“I did not expect to see you today, Lily,” Kara said, setting her pen down.

I placed the blue notebook on the counter between us, open to the page with her name and the date from two years ago.

Kara looked at the entry, her shoulders tightening as she recognized the handwriting.

“Stacey found this in his desk,” I continue reading …