But the authority it actually granted, spelled out in dense paragraphs she had not read closely at the time, was sweeping, and was nothing like what she had been told it was.

“He said it was routine,” she whispered through her hands.

“He said it was just so he could pay a utility bill if I was ever out of town.

He put it in front of me with a stack of other papers and a pen and I signed where he pointed.

I trusted him.

I signed it because I trusted him.”

I put my hand on her back and let her cry, and over the top of her bent head I looked at that form and understood the true scale of what Gavin was doing.