The house next door had not been an ordinary new family home in the sense I had assumed.

Derek had arranged a place where he could isolate Hannah and the twins while presenting himself to others as a normal resident.

I asked how long she had been there.

“The period you noticed them moving in is part of the timeline,” he said.

“We’re establishing what happened before and after that.”

He did not fill the gaps with a polished narrative.

He gave me what could appropriately be shared and asked for what I could contribute.