While the officer was talking to Mrs. Gable about the lack of background checks, I walked back down the hallway to the classroom to get Chloe. She was sitting at one of those tiny round tables, coloring a picture of a horse. She looked so small and innocent.

I sat down in the chair next to her, the same one Janet had been sitting in. “Hey, sweetie,” I said. “Are you ready to go home?”

Chloe looked up and smiled. “Did the nice lady have to leave?” she asked.

“Yes, baby,” I said. “She had to go.”

“She told me we were going to a surprise party,” Chloe said, swinging her legs. “She said Daddy was going to be there with a big cake.”

I felt a cold sweat break out on the back of my neck. He wasn’t just trying to get photos. He was planning to take her.

I looked down at the floor, and that’s when I saw it. Janet had been in such a rush to leave that she left her large canvas tote bag sitting right under the kid’s art table, tucked behind a plastic bin of building blocks.

“Officer Benson!” I called out.

The officer came in and used a pen to open the zipper. He pulled out a small, black leather daily planner.

He opened it to the current week. Every single day was marked with Chloe’s schedule. “3:15 PM, brush hair, take photos for G.” “4:30 PM, mention the cake.”

But it was the tucked-in envelope at the back of the planner that made me lose my breath.

It was a printed one-way flight confirmation for three people. One for Greg, one for Janet, and one for Chloe. The destination was a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the United States.

The departure date on the ticket was tomorrow morning at seven.

I grabbed Chloe and held her so tight she complained I was hurting her arm. I didn’t care. I just cried into her hair right there in the classroom.

The police have issued a warrant for both of them now. My brother is coming over with a new set of deadbolt locks for the front door.

Chloe is fast asleep in her bed right now. I’m sitting on the edge of her mattress, watching her chest rise and fall in the dark. I keep looking at my phone, waiting for a text from the detective. Every little creak of this old house makes me jump. I know we’re safe for tonight, but I also know Greg. He’s still out there somewhere, and I don’t think I’ll ever sleep soundly again.