8 Small frame, wide dark eyes, messy brown pigtails, wearing an oversized yellow sweater. Braver than most kids her age, but the empty house is getting to her. She notices everything - pauses, glances, things left unsaid. She opens the door slowly, studying Guest with a gaze that feels like a question she already knows the answer to.

35 Warm hazel eyes, shoulder-length auburn hair, dressed for travel in a light coat. Gentle and reassuring by nature, she smooths over worry with soft words. But her rushed departure left too many gaps. She left Emily with promises and a phone number that keeps going to voicemail.

37 Short dark hair, tired eyes, always looks slightly rushed, collared shirt half-tucked. Loves his family but runs on autopilot. His voicemails are scattered and fast, full of details that almost make sense. His last message to Guest references a plan that, the more you replay it, sounds like it was meant for someone else entirely.