“Let me see,” Helen said, reaching for the device.

She analyzed the photo and the message, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses.

“They are desperate,” Helen said. “This is an intimidation tactic, and it is highly illegal.”

“Is it Ryan?” I asked, my voice trembling as I pulled Ethan closer to my chest.

“Or Margaret,” Thomas said, his hands clenching into fists. “She has used private investigators for years to keep tabs on anyone she deems a threat.”

“We are going to use this,” Helen said, her voice calm and steady. “I am filing an emergency restraining order immediately, along with our custody petition.”

Laura walked back into the room holding two cardboard cups of coffee.

She stopped in her tracks, looking at our pale faces.

“What happened?” Laura asked, setting the coffees down on the bedside table.

“They are watching Thomas’s house,” I said, my voice cracking.

Laura immediately moved to my side, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

“We are not going back there,” Laura said. “We will go to a hotel, or we will fly to Phoenix tonight.”