“Daddy… Mommy’s boyfriend hit me with a baseball bat. He said if I cry, it’ll hurt more…”

“Kyle?” I asked, feeling the name as something strange in my mouth.

“Yes,” Marcus replied. “It’s in the kitchen.”

A faint metallic noise filtered through the call, followed by a sudden movement, like a chair being dragged across the floor.

“Did he see you come in?” I asked.

—Now we’re talking—.