“That’s a lie,” I said, my voice rising. “She locked me in from the outside. She took my phone.”

“I know,” Melanie said, looking up. “But she’s going to claim it happened on Tuesday, when Leo was out of town.”

Leo frowned, his brow furrowing as he calculated the dates.

“Tuesday?” Leo asked. “I wasn’t in Omaha on Tuesday.”

“Yes, you were,” Melanie said. “You left on Monday night.”

“No,” Leo said, his voice growing firm. “The municipal schedule changed. I didn’t leave for Omaha until Wednesday morning.”

I looked at Leo, a spark of hope igniting in my chest.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“I’m positive,” Leo said. “My boss, Arthur, rescheduled the delivery because of the storm warning on the interstate.”

He pulled out his own phone and began scrolling through his calendar.

“Josephine claims she found you locked in the room on Tuesday afternoon,” Leo said, reading from his memory of his mother’s threats.

“But I was home on Tuesday,” Leo continued. “I was at the depot until four, and then I was home with you, Grace.”