“You okay, sweetheart?” he asks me.
“I will be.”
His gaze remains on me for a moment, steady and patient, before he bends to kiss the top of Blake’s head. Blake reaches up and catches Luther’s wrist, keeping his hand against his shoulder after the kiss ends.
“You should come home when you can,” Blake says.
“I have to speak with her again first.”
“Then call us after,” Luther says. “Even if it’s late.”
Before I can answer, Rosalie appears beneath Luther’s arm and pushes her face into the bottom of the screen. One braid has already started coming loose, and she’s holding a glittery shoe against her chest.
“Papa Luca, I found it.”
I smile despite myself. “Was it missing, baby?”
“Yes. Daddy said it was under my bed, but that still means missing.”
Behind her, Luther closes his eyes while Blake laughs and reaches over to smooth the loose section of her braid.
“You were supposed to be putting it on,” Luther reminds her.
“I had to tell Papa Luca first.”
“I’m glad you found it,” I tell her. “Now put it on before the other one gets lonely.”
Rosalie disappears from the screen as quickly as she arrived, already calling for James. Luther brushes his thumb once over Blake’s shoulder before following her into the next room.
Blake watches me for another quiet moment. The house continues moving around him, full of small voices and footsteps, but he doesn’t rush to fill the silence between us.
“You don’t have to carry the whole day before you come home,” he says.
“I know.”
“Good.” He reaches for the sandwich again and takes another bite without being asked. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I stay on the call until he finishes chewing and promises to eat the rest. Only then do I end it and return to the intake form.
Philomena sleeps for almost two hours.
When Blossom tells me she’s awake, I don’t bring the earlier notes upstairs. I take a blank page and meet her in the small lounge beside her room, where she’s sitting beneath the blanket Blossom gave her.
“I want to explain something before we continue,” I say. “People are investigating an older placement network that used some of the same language you described.”
Her shoulders tighten.
“You’re not in trouble,” I add. “Nothing you’ve told me has been shared.”
Philomena studies my face. “But you want to share it.”
“Only if you agree.”
I explain that Wilson is assisting with the Hearthstone investigation and that my mates are helping trace its remainingfinancial and legal structures. I tell her they may compare her description with old contracts and records. I explain that she can refuse, agree to only part of it, remove identifying details, or wait until she has spoken with a lawyer or advocate.
“Will the police come here?” she asks.
