“He never once called out Sadie’s name.”

Mary straightened her collar, set her pen to the paper, and signed her full name on the witness line.

“I taught elementary school in this county for thirty-four years, Valerie,” Mary said.

She looked at me and didn’t blink.

“I know what a scared child looks like, and I know when a man is lying to his neighbors.”

A notary public from the local credit union, whom Dad had brought with him, stamped her official seal beside Mary’s signature.

“Will this paper keep Sadie safe from him?” Mary asked.