During a family barbecue, I got a text: “walk away and don’t say a word.” I quietly stepped out, and moments later, law enforcement arrived at my daughter-in-law’s home.

The phone lit up on the patio table, a stark, urgent message from an unknown number: Walk away. Don’t talk to anyone. Now. I slipped out of the family barbecue just as squad cars, lights flashing but sirens silent, filled my daughter-in-law’s perfect suburban driveway