She went out on the back porch to sulk, and our neighbor Mrs.

Bennett took her in for some tea.”

“Is the child safe right now?” Officer Miller asked, looking past us at Mary Bennett’s lit front window.

“She’s right across the street,” Trevor said.

“Safe, warm, and resting.

There wasn’t any lockout.

It was just a family misunderstanding.”

“He’s lying,” I said, my thumb hitting my index finger three times in quick succession.