That night, while watching the new footage again, I noticed something else.
In the corner of one clip, barely visible through the glass, was a piece of paper Everett had dropped. I paused. Zoomed in.
There were words scribbled on it.
“I belong here.”
That was it.
Sam and I went to the police again. Showed them everything. They finally agreed to issue a restraining order.
But by the time the officer arrived at Everett’s house to serve it, he was gone.
His house was unlocked. Empty. No sign of him.
The officer shrugged. “Maybe he left town.”
Maybe.
A week passed.