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<\/p>\nMy sister called me at midnight and whispered, \u201cTurn off every light. Go to the attic. Don\u2019t tell your husband.\u201d I thought she was unraveling \u2014 until I peered through the floorboards\u2026.
\nMy sister called me at 12:08 a.m.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I almost ignored it.<\/p>\n
My husband, Caleb Morrison, was asleep beside me in our house just outside Arlington, Virginia. Rain tapped steadily against the bedroom windows, and the baby monitor on my nightstand glowed green from our son\u2019s empty nursery. Noah was spending the weekend with Caleb\u2019s parents, which was the only reason I had managed to sleep at all.<\/p>\n
When I saw my sister\u2019s name, I pushed myself upright.<\/p>\n
Mara.<\/p>\n
Mara worked for the FBI. She never called this late unless someone had died or something terrible was about to happen.<\/p>\n
I answered in a whisper. \u201cMara?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was tense. \u201cListen carefully. Turn everything off. Your phone, the lights, everything. Go to the attic, lock the door, and don\u2019t tell Caleb.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chill ran through me. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, Elise.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced at my husband. He lay facing away, breathing slow and steady.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re scaring me,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Mara\u2019s voice snapped into a shout. \u201cJust do it!\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved before I could question it.<\/p>\n
I slipped out of bed, grabbed my phone charger without thinking, and crept into the hallway. Behind me, Caleb shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise?\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting water,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n
I switched off the hallway light, then the kitchen, then the living room lamp Caleb always left on. My hands trembled so badly I nearly dropped my phone. Mara stayed on the line, silent except for her breathing.<\/p>\n
At the attic stairs, she whispered, \u201cDo not hang up.\u201d<\/p>\n
I climbed slowly, each wooden step creaking beneath my bare feet. The attic smelled of dust, insulation, and old holiday boxes. I shut the door behind me and slid the small latch into place.<\/p>\n
\u201cLock it,\u201d Mara said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStay away from the window.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then the call dropped.<\/p>\n
For one long, awful minute, nothing happened.<\/p>\n
Then I heard Caleb\u2019s voice downstairs.<\/p>\n
No longer sleepy.<\/p>\n
Calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cLights are off,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Another man answered from inside my house.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she knows.\u201d<\/p>\n