The morning he left she called the FBI. She’d expected that when she spoke her voice would be shaky, but it was sure and strong. She said, “I have information on the kidnapping and murder of Madison Miller.”

They asked her to come to the local office. They greeted her politely, like she was a dinner guest. They got her coffee. They brought her to a room and sat her down with three FBI agents, two male and one female. Sherri kept her gaze on the female agent. She felt more comfortable talking to her. The female agent had hair in a blunt bob and a no-nonsense way about her but at the same time she had really kind eyes. She was part badass, part therapist. She wore a wedding ring, and Sherri could picture her at home in her kitchen, mixing oatmeal for breakfast, checking a child’s math homework. This image made Sherri want to do a good job for her; she wanted to do a good job turning in her criminal husband.

She started with Madison Miller’s necklace, and then she worked her way backward. She had so much to tell them. Years’ worth. She had details about meetings, and she had dates and times, and she had a good mental record of all the different items she’d seen at different times in the hiding place. She told them that she’d never been able to figure out the password to the laptop.

The female agent smiled at her. “Our guys can get around that,” she said. “Why don’t you just tell us where the laptop is, Mrs. Giordano, and we’ll take care of everything else.”

Sherri talked and she talked and she talked, until it came time to pick up Katie from school. The agents asked her if she felt safe returning home. She said she did. They said they would get to work right away securing a search warrant.

That night Sherri didn’t sleep. She imagined Bobby might come back home unexpectedly. She imagined Bobby would kill her the way he’d killed Madison Miller.

The next day she kept Katie home from school. She told her she had a mother/daughter day planned. She told her they’d go to breakfast and for a manicure. The whole time they were at breakfast, Sherri was shaking. She spilled her coffee. The manicurist had to hold her hand steady so she could paint her nails.

When they got home Sherri told Katie to go up to Sherri’s room and put on a movie. She called the agent with the kind eyes and she said seven words. She said, “I was wrong. We aren’t safe here.”

If the agent batted an eye, Sherri didn’t hear it over the phone. She said, “Sit tight, Mrs. Giordano. Someone is coming for you and your daughter. It won’t be long.”