A rustle.
Then a thud.
We ran barefoot down the hall.
Then the scream cut off.
The nursery door was already half open. Claire shoved past me.
“Jamie! Get away from her!”
I stopped in the doorway.
The crib was empty.
Jamie was on the floor, kneeling. Sophie lay on the rug in front of him, terrifyingly quiet.
His hands were shaking.
The crib was empty.
Something small was clenched in his fist.
Claire’s hand flew to her mouth.
“Oh my God…”
I watched it hit her. The soup, the bandages, Jamie. Now her baby, on the floor.
“What did you do?!”
She lunged for Sophie.
“Oh my God…”
“Don’t pick her up yet!”
Jamie’s voice cracked through the room. Claire froze.
So did I.
“Jamie,” I said. “What happened?”
He looked up. His hands were still shaking.
But his voice was calm.
