It was a decision I made about my son and I’d make it again, and it was also a thing I did to you, and both of those are true.”

Maya Sterling sat in that kitchen for a long time.

“The advertisement,” she said finally.

“Was real.

I ran it for eleven days in three papers because I’d stopped trusting agencies.” A pause.

“But I’ll tell you the truth about that too, because we’re doing that now.

One of the three papers was the free daily they stack at the central bus terminal.

Desmond suggested it.