“Dad isn’t dead, he’s under the floor,” the little girl said, police started digging…

Chief Mark Rivers looked up at the incident report that had just been handed to him. Name of the reporting party, Martha Grant.

Content, missing husband. No trace, no additional notes. But what caught his attention was that the person who came to file the report wasn’t Martha it was her neighbor, Mrs. Frances Davis and with her, a four-year-old girl tightly clutching a teddy bear, her face pale as a sheet.

She didn’t want me to take the little girl anywhere, Frances said, her voice urgent. But the girl, she said something strange. You need to hear it.

Mark sat down, his expression softening as he looked toward Anna. What’s your name, sweetheart? I’m Anna, the girl replied, her voice barely a whisper. Do you know where your daddy went, he asked gently.

Anna didn’t answer right away. She looked up, her large dark eyes trembling, then slowly said, Daddy, is under the kitchen floor. The air in the room turned ice cold.

Mark glanced at Frances her face had gone pale. A young officer nearby coughed quietly, trying to hide a shiver. What did you say? Mark leaned in, his tone no longer gentle, but cautious.

Daddy’s under the kitchen floor, Anna repeated. Where the tiles are a lighter color. Daddy’s really cold.

An eerie silence fell over the room. Mark immediately signaled for Lt. Richard Monroe to step closer.

Get Martha Grant to the station. Set up a preliminary investigation team. I want the scene checked within the hour.

Less than thirty minutes later, Martha arrived far more composed and dry-eyed than Mark had expected. She wore a white blouse and black pants, her hair neatly tied, eyes showing no sign of panic or grief. I’ve told you already, Martha said calmly.

My husband Julian has a habit of disappearing for a few days without warning. This isn’t the first time. You didn’t find anything unusual about that? Mark asked, not taking his eyes off her.

No, she said with a shrug. I figured he’d come back like he always does. Richard interjected, but neighbors said they heard arguing and things breaking that night.

Martha glanced at him, then sighed. We had an argument. But who doesn’t argue in a marriage? Mark nodded….