Martha had always found something unsettling about her neighbor Nelly. In three years, she rarely saw Nelly outside, and the absence of her supposed baby raised alarms. When Martha finally worked up the courage to speak to her, Nelly’s fear-driven retreat only deepened the mystery.
Concerned, Martha shared her unease with her husband, Evan, but he brushed it off. “Not everyone is social,” he said, encouraging her to focus on their family. Yet Martha couldn’t shake her suspicions, especially after Mrs. Freddie, another neighbor, vowed to investigate.
