“Nicole … I don’t know if you can hear me, but I … I don’t know what’s gonna happen … and I’m really scared. I know I’ve been scared before, like the night Caitlyn was born … and the time we took her to the ER because of that flu … I know you said you were just as scared as I was, but you always did a better job of hiding it. You were always that rock, through everything … I know we didn’t have as much time as we thought we were going to, but even if we did … I don’t think I could have said ‘thank you’ enough … Caitlyn and I really need you, right now … I don’t care if I walk out, so long as our daughter’s safe … I don’t know if you can, but please, be by my side for this one …”

I pick up the necklace from the passenger seat. I slide the butterfly pendant off the chain and set it aside. Then, I thread the chain through Nicole’s ring. I hang it around my neck, reach back, and tie the chain into a small, simple knot around the broken clasp.

Just to feel that small weight, again, pressing on my chest, fills me with calm. I close my eyes and I can see her. I see us — the moments we sat together at the kitchen table. The walks we would take. Playing with Caitlyn. I’m filled with a soft warmth.

I open my eyes. The Nightingale House waits.

I don’t know if I’ll walk out, maybe I’ll be with Nicole again, but I’ll be damned if he gets our daughter.

I tuck Nicole’s ring into my shirt and step out of the car.

*

I open the front door. The house is already tense, waiting, and watching.

I step inside, close the door, and lock it behind me.

I stride with determination through the living room, dining room, and into the kitchen. I slowly open the basement door. The wooden stairs creak as I begin my descent. I don’t bother with the flashlight app on my phone. I reach the bottom of the stairs, step into the darkness, and find the chain. I reach up and pull.

The glow from the light shows that everything appears as it should.