“That is a lie,” I screamed. “Do not let them go!”

“Mrs. Carter, he has already signed them out,” she said, her voice rising in panic.

“Where are they?” I demanded.

“They just walked out to the parking lot,” she said.

I hung up the phone.

“Stop the car,” I told the taxi driver.

“We are in the middle of the bridge,” he said.

“Stop the car!” I yelled.

I threw a twenty-dollar bill onto the front seat and grabbed my bag.

I pushed the door open into the cold rain.

The wind whipped my hair across my face as I began to run back toward the school.

The blue binder felt heavy in my arms.

My phone buzzed again in my coat pocket.

It was a number I didn’t recognize.

I pressed the screen with a wet thumb and held it to my ear.

“Emily,” Daniel’s voice was calm, almost pleasant.

“Where are my sons, Daniel?” I gasped, running along the sidewalk.

“We are taking a little trip,” he said.

“You can’t do this,” I said. “The police will stop you.”