Officer Brown’s heart ached. “Hey there, it’s okay,” he said softly, slowly reaching out his hand.

The boy flinched, then, seeing the kindness in Brown’s eyes, slowly took the offered hand.

Emily’s imagination had not been overactive. The someone in her room was real, a child in need, hidden away for reasons yet unknown. As the officers helped him down, one thing was clear: this night was just the beginning of uncovering a story that the walls of the Harris home had kept secret for far too long. The echoes of the past, the whispers of forgotten lives, had finally found a voice.