When I pulled into the driveway that Friday evening, the sun was sinking low, casting a golden haze across the quiet suburban street. The day had been long and draining, full of meetings and deadlines that refused to end, and all I could think about was coming home to see my 5-year-old daughter, Ella. Usually, she greeted me the moment I opened the front door barefoot, giggling and running straight into my arms.
That sound alone made every exhausting day worth it. But that evening, the house was silent. I remember pausing at the door, my hand still on the knob.
The stillness was strange. Normally, I’d hear the hum of the TV or the faint laughter of Ella and our babysitter, Harper. Maybe they were reading upstairs, I told myself.
Still, something in my chest tightened. I stepped inside, calling out, “I’m home! Ella?
Harper?”
No answer. The living room was spotless too spotless. The TV was off, and the toys that usually littered the floor were neatly arranged in their bin.
The faint smell of lavender from the diffuser lingered in the air. On the coffee table sat Ella’s favorite stuffed bunny. She never went anywhere without it.
“Harper?” I called again, louder this time, moving toward the kitchen. Her tote bag was gone from the counter where she always left it, and so were Ella’s little sneakers from the mudroom. My stomach sank.
I pulled out my phone and glanced at the time: 6:12 p.m. Harper usually stayed until I got home at six. Maybe she’d taken Ella out for ice cream and lost track of time.
But she hadn’t texted. That wasn’t like her. Harper was a responsible 19-year-old college student studying early childhood education, and she’d been babysitting for us for nearly six months.
I trusted her completely, or at least, I had until that moment. I dialed her number, pacing the kitchen as the call rang. Straight to voicemail.
Then I called again. Same thing. That uneasy feeling in my gut was growing stronger, creeping into my chest.
I checked the back door it was locked. The curtains were drawn. The house was in perfect order, except for one detail: Harper’s phone charger was still plugged into the outlet beside the couch.
Something wasn’t right. I tried calling a few of Harper’s friends whose numbers I had from when we’d planned babysitting schedules, but no one had seen her since the morning. I was about to call the police when I remembered something.
Ella’s backpack. A few months ago, after a minor scare when she wandered off in a park for a few minutes, I had slipped an AirTag inside the lining of her favorite pink backpack. She didn’t know it was just for my peace of mind.
That backpack went everywhere with her: daycare, playdates, even the grocery store. With trembling fingers, I opened the Find My app on my phone and selected “Ella’s Backpack.” The spinning circle loaded for what felt like forever before a location popped up on the map. My heart stopped.
The pin wasn’t anywhere near our neighborhood. It was at the airport. For a few seconds, I couldn’t move.
My mind scrambled for explanations. Maybe Harper’s parents had an emergency, and she had to rush to the airport, but why would she take Ella? Why not call me?
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