Steam fogs a window in a quiet apartment. A dog’s nails click on tile. On a damp Thursday evening, Elena Rossi was heating soup. Minutes later, the soup is cold, the chain on the door hangs loose. No signs of a struggle. No cries for help. Just a routine, suddenly and silently broken. This is the vanishing hour—the moment the ordinary becomes unsettling, and a person simply disappears.
The tim...
