Why is Phoebe especially frightened when she returns home to an empty house and finds three envelopes addressed to Phoebe, Prudence, and Mr....

Phoebe’s mother is not at home, which she usually is. The three notes were for Phoebe, Prudence, and Mr. Winterbottom. Phoebe’s note told her to keep the doors locked and to call her father if she needed anything. At first, Phoebe did not think anything about it, figuring that her mother finally realized that she could take care of herself after school. It wasn’t until Prudence opened her note with instructions for fixing dinner that Phoebe began to worry, since it sounded like her mother would not be home for dinner, an unusual occurrence. Mr. Winterbottom’s note simply said that she had to go away and couldn’t explain, with a promise that she would call in a few days. At this, Phoebe began to suspect the worst, that her mother had been kidnapped. She suggests to her father that they should call the police, but Mr. Winterbottom brushes this suggestion aside. Phoebe makes Sal promise not to tell anyone that her mother has disappeared.