Officers arrived before the children were dismissed and took statements.
When Lily finally came out, she noticed the police car.
“Are we in trouble, Mama?”
“No, sweetheart.”
She held my hand.
“Can we go home?”
“Of course.”
That evening, Lily refused to let me leave her bedroom.
As I read her favorite story, she suddenly asked:
“People go away?”
My throat tightened.
“Sometimes people do, sweetheart. But you’re safe with me tonight. Claire and Helen are here for you, too.”
She looked at me.
“You’ll always be here?”
“I’ll do my very best.”
The following week, we arranged play therapy with a therapist experienced in helping children who had experienced foster care and adoption.
Meanwhile, Martin filed a formal complaint about the missing reports.
The agency eventually discovered that the threatening reports had been kept in a separate internal file and never included in the adoption documents.
