She climbed up into her booster seat, laid her gray rabbit in her lap, and tucked the purple toy phone under its arm.

I closed the back door gently, walked around to the driver’s side, and got in behind the wheel.

Through the windshield, the tall stone columns of the Hartford courthouse stood silent in the pale afternoon sun.

I put the key in the ignition, started the engine, and glanced back at Sophie in the rearview mirror.

She was gazing out the window, watching red autumn leaves skitter across the pavement.

I pulled out onto Washington Street, keeping my hands steady on the wheel as we headed toward West Hartford.