For a long moment she said nothing at all.

And then, in a whisper, she said, “Not much.” I will not write down everything that “not much” turned out to mean.

It is enough to say that when my daughter explained it to me, quietly, in that hotel room, I understood that the stolen money and the empty plate were only part of what had been done to her, and that I was going to have to be very careful, and very thorough, and very calm, before I did anything at all.

Chapter 11 — We Dismantle Her Legally