I felt, mostly, a kind of clarity, and beneath it, quietly, relief — relief that my daughter would be raised somewhere far away from people to whom everything, including her, would always be simply there for the taking.

Chapter 18 — You Have Consequences

A police cruiser pulled up to the curb a few moments later.

Patricia’s head snapped toward me, her face a mixture of fury and fear.

“You called the police?”

“No,” I replied.

“The new property owner did, when three strangers tried to force their way into their building.

All I did was tell the officers what happened — and hand them the photographs of my jewelry.”