He had just pulled up in his SUV and was standing near the garage with two officers beside him. He looked less afraid than confused at first, like a man arriving late to the wrong event. Then his eyes found me.
And everything in his face collapsed.
“Sarah?” he said.
There was no anger in it yet. Only disbelief.
A detective approached, hand extended. “Mrs. Mitchell? Detective Carlos Ramirez. Your report initiated this response.”
I shook his hand because it seemed like something stable people did.
“Are my children okay?”
“Yes,” he said. “Your son is safe. Paramedics are evaluating both children for possible exposure. We removed them immediately.”
Only then did I realize I had been holding my breath.
I looked toward Eric. “You told me it was work,” I said.
He stared at me as if the sentence itself were unreasonable.
“You called the police?”
