The Routine That Wasn’t So Routine
For fifteen years, Vanessa Gomez had been answering calls as a 911 dispatcher in Pinos Verdes County. She had listened to desperate voices during storms, fires, and floods. She had talked to parents terrified for their choking child and neighbors reporting smoke across the street.
But nothing could have prepared her for what came through her headset at 2:17 p.m. on an ordinary September afternoon.
“911. What is your emergency?” Her tone was calm, steady, and professional—just as she had been trained.
Three long seconds of silence followed. Then, a trembling little voice whispered:
