Chapter 14: The Rules Changed
The threat against Hannah changed everything about my daily life.
I had been thinking about a house and a neighbor dispute.
Now I had to think about a child who could be watched on her way home.
Ortiz documented the message and helped us develop a safety plan with the school.
Hannah was furious that I would not let her walk with her friends for a while.
I told her the restriction was temporary and not a punishment.
She asked whether I thought Graham had sent the message.
I answered that we didn’t know who sent it.
She stared at me for a long time.
“You don’t have to pretend you aren’t worried,” she said.
That night, we ate takeout noodles in the living room because the kitchen was still stripped to its studs.
Hannah asked whether I regretted helping Noah.
I said no so quickly that she looked surprised.
“Not even a little?”
“Not for one second.”
I explained that helping a frightened child had not caused the wrongdoing that followed.
The people making threats were responsible for their choices.
Hannah nodded, but she was not convinced that the world would reward anyone for doing the right thing.
I couldn’t promise her it would.
I could only demonstrate that we would not abandon Noah because somebody had made caring expensive.
The next morning, Rebecca called with news.
Noah had been interviewed by a trained specialist.
He was safe for the moment, and his situation was under review.
Rebecca did not tell me what he had said.
She asked only whether I would testify if necessary.
I told her I would describe the facts accurately, whatever the outcome.
That promise became harder to keep once Valerie found out Rebecca had come to my workshop.
