A local woman missing- Mary Kubica

KATE
11 YEARS BEFORE
May
Bea is in bed when the police finally come. It takes over an hour.
With weather conditions as they are, emergencies abound. The
police and paramedics have been kept busy lately, rescuing people
from flooded roads and homes.
The officers arrive without lights and sirens. They slip nearly
invisibly down the darkened street, pulling to the curb and parking in
front of Josh and Meredith’s house.
When he called to report Meredith and Delilah missing, Josh was
told that an officer was on his way, and so he’d left Bea and me and
carried Leo home, to get him to bed before they came.
When will Mommy be home? Leo had asked as they left,
chocolate on his fingers and lips, woozy with fatigue.
I open the front door and step out onto the covered porch with a
throw blanket wrapped around me, my feet bare. I leave the porch
light off, feeling invisible in the darkness, though I stay alert. It’s hard
not to be scared after all that’s happened. I have to wonder if some
monster is stalking women in the neighborhood, or if what’s
happened to Shelby and Meredith are two isolated incidents. I back
myself into the corner on the porch, where nothing can come at me
from behind. The wooden porch is damp on my feet. It’s still raining,
but the rain is slower now, the night more tame. It’s quieted down to
a peaceful drizzle. I stand in the darkness, staring through the trees
that disrupt my view of the street. I watch as two officers make their
way to Josh and Meredith’s house, where Josh pulls the front door
open before they have a chance to knock and wake up Leo.
I hear their voices, one male and one female. They introduce
themselves. Josh says hello and tells them his name. He invites
them inside. The officers step in and he closes the door. The blinds
are open in their house, so I can see Josh and the officers, but I