Chapter 2 - THE BOY WHO WASN’T SUPPOSED TO EXIST
His name was Jacob.
Seven years old.
Emily’s younger half-brother.
And according to every school record, lease document, emergency contact form, and CPS database Karen could access that afternoon—
Jacob Carter did not live with Dana.
Officially, he lived with his biological father, Aaron Webb, in Kentucky.
Unofficially, Emily had seen him four times in the previous six months.
Always at night.
Always briefly.
Always when Dana told her:
“Don’t ask questions.”
Emily explained only after Karen promised twice that telling the truth would not make Jacob disappear.
The first time he came, Dana arrived after midnight with a sleepy boy in dinosaur pajamas.
“This is Jacob,” she said.
Emily already knew his name from old photographs.
Dana almost never spoke about him.
She said his father “won custody because rich people always win.”
Emily had been six when Jacob was born.
Eight when he stopped appearing.
At first Dana told her Aaron had moved.
Then that Jacob was “better off.”
Eventually Emily learned not to ask.
But six months earlier, Dana brought him back.
Not permanently.
Just for one night.
Then another two weeks later.
Then a weekend.
Jacob slept on the couch.
Dana told Emily never to mention him at school or to neighbors.
“His dad is unstable,” she said. “I’m protecting him.”
Emily believed her.
Children often believe the parent who supplies the only available version.
The red backpack appeared during Jacob’s third visit.
It contained:
two shirts,
underwear,
a toothbrush,
a toy dinosaur,
and an inhaler.
Then one night Dana packed it fully.
Emily remembered because Jacob started crying.
He asked if he was “going away again.”
Dana snapped at him to stop.
That was two weeks before she left Emily alone.
Officer Miller listened without interrupting.
Karen asked carefully:
“When was the last time you saw Jacob?”
Emily looked at the floor.
“The night before Mom left.”
The room became very still.
“What happened?”
“Someone came to the apartment.”
“Who?”
“A man.”
“Did you know him?”
Emily shook her head.
“He had a gray jacket. Mom told me to stay in my room.”
“Did Jacob leave with him?”
Emily’s eyes filled again.
“I heard him crying.”
Karen’s pulse seemed to change visibly.
“Did you see him leave?”
Emily nodded.
“With your mother?”
“No.”
“With the man?”
“Yes.”
Officer Miller stood.
“Do you know his name?”
“No.”
“Anything he said?”
Emily thought.
Then whispered:
“Mom called him Mr. Keller.”
That name meant nothing to Emily.
It meant something to Karen.
She looked at Officer Miller.
“Family placement consultant.”
Officer Miller frowned.
“You know him?”
“I know the company.”
Karen pulled out her phone.
Keller Family Transition Services.
A private agency that advertised “temporary kinship coordination,” “interstate family stabilization,” and “emergency guardianship support.”
Not illegal.
Not necessarily reputable either.
Karen searched the state provider database.
No current license for foster placement.
No authority to move a child across state lines without a court order.
May you like
Her expression hardened.
“We need Aaron Webb.”
