Not every allegation had produced a charge, and not every dollar had been recovered.

I had once imagined that justice would arrive in one loud moment, perhaps with officers banging on a hotel door and everyone finally understanding what they’d done.

In reality, it arrived in letters, records, sworn statements, and obligations that lasted beyond the headlines.

It never gave Maya back the days she’d spent hungry and afraid.

We received the final paperwork by mail.

I placed it in a cabinet, not in a frame.