Chapter 1 - The Plate Beneath Sadie's Portrait
Margaret shoved the plate across the table until gravy touched Lily's sleeve. "That dog is gone, so stop crying and eat your dinner." Lily's eyes stayed on the bones near the rim. Julia reached the dining room in time to hear the words and see Frank watching in silence, as if obedience mattered more than breath. Above him hung Sadie's portrait, crooked by half an inch. Lily raised a crumpled note. "Grandma taped this to my door after Sadie disappeared." Julia read the command to come downstairs at six, then noticed Margaret tapping her spoon three times against the bowl. Sadie had been trained to answer Lily's three taps with a warm nose against her knee. Now nothing came. Julia did not scream. She photographed the plate, the note, and both grandparents. Then she sent the image to Sadie's trainer, Owen Price, with four words: Come before they clean. Margaret smiled until headlights crossed the curtains. A knock struck the front door, and Frank whispered, "Don't let her see the garage."
