“Really?”
“Really.”
I waited until she gave the smallest nod.
Then, I stepped into the pantry, leaving the door cracked so I could see the twins, and called 911.
I spoke quietly, explaining that two three-year-old girls from the house next door were inside my home and that they claimed their mother had been locked downstairs.
The dispatcher told me to stay inside, lock every door, and avoid confronting Grant.
I had just ended the call when someone struck my front door again.
This time, Grant didn’t knock.
He slammed his fist against it.
“Carla!”
My blood ran cold.
I had never told him my name.
“Open the door.”
The twins crawled deeper beneath the kitchen table.
“How do you know my name?” I called.
He said nothing.
Then, the doorknob turned, but wouldn’t open.
“Those girls belong with me,” he said. “You don’t understand what’s happening.”
“They told me they’re afraid of you.”
“They’re three. They don’t know what they’re saying.”
“They knew enough to hide.”
His voice sharpened.
“Open the door.”
“No.”
A moment later, I heard footsteps leaving the porch.
I rushed to the side window.
Grant was crossing my lawn toward the gate leading into my backyard.
I locked the kitchen door just before he reached it.
He grabbed the handle and shook it.
Lucy screamed.
His face, visible through the glass, went completely still.
“So, they are in there.”
I said nothing.
“Open this door, Carla.”
“Police are coming.”
The color drained from his face.
He released the handle and ran toward his house.
Within minutes, sirens sounded at the end of the street.
Officers came to my door first.
I explained everything again while a female officer named Dana sat on the kitchen floor with Lily and Lucy.
When Dana asked where their mother was, Lily pointed toward the wall we shared with the neighboring property.
“Down,” she said.
Police entered Grant’s house.
I stayed with the twins, but every second felt endless.
About 15 minutes later, two officers emerged with Grant in handcuffs.
Behind him came another officer supporting a woman.
I recognized her immediately.
She was the woman I had seen standing in the driveway.
Her hair was tangled and her face was pale.
The second she saw Lily and Lucy through my open doorway, she broke away from the officer.
“My babies!”
The twins ran.
“Mommy!”
