Chapter 4

The director's hand froze two inches above the master audio board.

Through the falling water, twelve-year-old Bella Bennett stood on the timber porch steps, blinking into the sudden, suffocating silence.

The compressed playback of ten-year-old Sadie's voicemail cut off mid-word.

It left only the hollow sound of water hitting the rubber drainage mats beneath the fake gravel.

The line producer stepped out from behind the video bay, yanking his headset down around his neck.

"Where did that audio track come from?"

The production coordinator tapped frantically on her tablet, her face pale under the LED work lights.

"It's cataloged under…