Nothing changed the fact that Piper woke crying at night.

The town heard about the incident quickly.

A local reporter called my business.

Parents from Piper’s school left messages.

One woman said she had always found Dolores “odd.” Another told me I should have known better than to trust her.

I stopped reading online comments after the first hour.

Most people wanted a villain and a hero.

I had no interest in performing either role for strangers.