“Why did you file for a conservatorship?” I asked.

Daniel quit fiddling with his watch.

His back stayed rigid, but his chin rose a little.

He didn’t know Arthur Vance had pulled the Maricopa County filing.

He assumed I meant the packet he’d left on the dining table two nights before.

“That’s standard administrative wording, Mom,” he said hurriedly.

“It’s just umbrella coverage for managing elder care.”

“It asks a judge to make you my legal guardian,” I said.