Mrs.

Alvarez touched my arm.

“He couldn’t control what they did, sweetheart.

But he could make sure you weren’t alone when they did it.”

The next day, I found a list written on the back of a seed catalog.

It was labeled THINGS CLARA KNOWS.

Underneath, Grandpa had written little reminders: how to shut off the water, when the furnace was serviced, which neighbor could repair a fence, where the tax receipts were filed.

At the bottom was one last item.