The next morning, I found Ethan’s birth certificate in a vinyl folder in his backpack.

Ronald had told him to keep his “special book” there.

His passport was missing from the place we ordinarily kept it, along with other family identity documents.

A passport was not required to travel to Ohio.

Its absence did not establish a plan to leave the country.

It did show that paperwork I expected to find at home was being gathered somewhere else.

I asked Frank to add that to the list.