“What is it?” Daniel asked, stepping closer.

I looked at Rose, then up at Claire, who was slowly backing away into the shadows of the upstairs hall.

The storm outside seemed to grow louder, wind rattling the glass panes.

“We have to go,” I said, my voice tight.

But before anyone could move, the sound of car tires crunching on the wet gravel driveway echoed from the front yard.

Headlights swept across the frosted glass of the front door, casting long, eerie shadows across the foyer walls.

Nobody spoke.

We all stood frozen in the dim hallway, waiting to see who would step out of the car.

The headlights cut out, plunging the driveway back into darkness.

A car door slammed shut.

Then another.

Footsteps hurried up the wooden steps of the front porch.

The brass doorknob began to turn.

I held my breath, clutching the torn letter to my chest.

The door slowly began to swing open.

A shadow stretched across the threshold, blocking the dim porch light.

The silhouette of a man stood in the doorway, his coat dripping with rain.