A few seconds slipped by, but Kathrine could not form a single word. She simply stared at the man before her, his scarred face and hollow expression making him look almost ghostlike. Her throat tightened. For a moment she forgot how to breathe, let alone ask if he knew her mother or if he was the very man they had been searching for all this time.
But the words would not come. Something deep inside her froze, locking every question in place.
Then a loud vibration shattered the silence.
Buzz…
Kathrine jolted out of her trance. Her fingers fumbled as she hurriedly dug through her purse, aware of the man's eyes still fixed on her. Without daring another glance at him, she mumbled a quick apology and stepped away, her heartbeat thundering as she put distance between herself and the house.
Once she reached a quiet, secluded corner of the street, she finally managed to look at her phone. It was the officer.
"Yes, officer," she answered quickly.
