She must have slipped them on in seconds, grabbed her keys and bag, and run. But why run without calling out? Why not shout his name? Why flee the house instead of checking where the noise came from? Near the counter, her phone still lay where she’d dropped it, the screen dimmed over the half-dialed emergency number she’d tried to call.
That image made guilt rise painfully in his throat. She hadn’t thought it was a prank. She had truly believed someone was inside with her. He checked the garage, then the driveway. Her car was still parked neatly where she’d left it that afternoon. Panic crawled higher in his chest. If she hadn’t taken the car, she had gone on foot.