What I did not know was what he meant by back, or what he would accept if Mara did not want the same thing.

PART 5 — The Paper Beneath the Paper

The child-protection worker met us at the station with a folder and a list of questions.

She had already spoken with the hospital.

The twins were receiving care, and discharge planning would need a safe placement once the treating team cleared them.

“What can you verify today?” she asked.

We gave her the rescue circumstances, the warning, the missing-person report, and the limited information about the vehicle.

We also gave her the limits.