I shook my head, tears threatening to spill over. “No,” I whispered, the word a haunting admission of failure. “I thought… I thought I knew him.”

As the hours stretched on, the reality of our situation began to settle like dust in the corners of my mind. This wasn’t just a mystery for the police to solve—it was a fracture in the foundation of my family, a chasm that might never be bridged.

Eventually, they allowed me to leave, their assurances that they would find Daniel doing little to ease the ache in my chest. I returned home, the silence a stark reminder of the questions left unanswered, the son still missing, and the grandson who might never be the same.