Every Time My Daughter Came Home Unresponsive, My Husband Told Me Not to Worry. The Recording in Her Backpack Revealed Why.

The authorities also connected us with a family liaison, a woman named Teresa who explained the stages of a criminal case without promising a particular outcome.

She told me there might be hearings, delays, and requests for records; she also explained that a child need not sit through every development for the adults to remain informed.

I was grateful for that distinction.

I wanted to know everything.

Harper needed to know only what was necessary to keep her safe and to understand that adults were helping.

At an early meeting, I was asked whether I wished to listen to another piece of evidence.