She was a child living her life, and her communication became part of that life rather than the measure of whether it was worth living.

Desmond developed a habit of leaving work in time for dinner.

He attended school meetings, learned to braid hair from online tutorials, and made spectacularly bad pancakes.

Pearl rated them by drawing stars on the napkins.

I visited on Sundays when my schedule allowed.

We read books, planted herbs, and practiced the signs for ridiculous animal names.

On days I couldn’t come, Pearl called and told me about the week using her tablet and signs.

The investigation remained in the background.