Stephan nodded slowly, clicking off the recorder. He rubbed a hand over his face, letting out a long, heavy sigh. "You did the right thing telling me this, Sarah. We’ve had an open missing persons case from a neighboring county that fits this exact timeline—a young woman who went missing after you disappeared. We never had a solid suspect or a body, but Jason’s cell phone records and his financial transactions from that month are going to give us exactly what we need to trace his movements."
He stood up, tucking the notepad under his arm, and looked down at me with genuine warmth. "You just gave a grieving family the answers they've been begging for, Sarah. Rest up. You're safe now. I'll handle the rest."
"Thank you, Sheriff," I whispered as he gave me one last reasuring nod and quietly
