THE NIGHT THE GLASS DOOR SHUT ON A BOY AND BROKE A FAMILY FOREVER

Leo let out a sharp gasp, scrambling back to his feet and pressing his face against the glass once more. The living room was bathed in harsh white light, but Clara was gone. The heavy velvet curtains swung violently from the sudden motion, leaving a wider gap than before.

"Leo! What just happened? I heard you cry out!" Margaret’s voice screamed through the phone speaker, frantic and desperate. "Talk to me! Did he hurt her?"

"They're gone, Grandma!" Leo cried out, his voice cracking with panic. "A big hand grabbed Clara and pulled her away! She looked so scared!"

"I'm almost at the gate, sweetheart. Security wouldn't let my car through at first, but I showed them my property pass," Margaret lied slightly, pushing her foot down harder on the accelerator of her sedan as she raced down the empty highway toward the luxury tower. "Did you see the man's face?"

"No, just his arm," Leo answered, shivering as another gust of wind swept across the high-rise balcony. "Grandma, please hurry. It's so dark and cold."

Inside the penthouse, the eerie silence returned. The muddy work boots were still visible near the kitchen island, but there was no movement, no sound of voices, nothing to indicate what had just transpired. The apartment seemed to hold its breath, mocking the terrifying mystery unfolding within its walls.

Leo clutched his phone, his fingers growing numb. He looked down at the patio floor where the puddle of orange juice had begun to crystallize in the dropping temperature. The stain on the floor seemed to mirror the dark, irreversible stain that had suddenly invaded their orderly, wealthy life. His father was still unaccounted for, Clara had vanished into the deep interior of the apartment with an unknown intruder, and he was locked outside like a stray animal.

Suddenly, a bright beam of light swept across the balcony ceiling. A police cruiser, its sirens silent but its red and blue emergency lights flashing, pulled up to the grand entrance below. Leo watched the lights dance against the glass facade of the building, a tiny beacon of hope in the terrifying night.

"Grandma, the police are here," Leo whispered, watching the lobby doors from his high vantage point.

"Thank God," Margaret breathed heavily over the line. "Hold on, Leo. Help is finally walking through those doors."