Chapter 12 - A Child's Name
"She's ten," Julian told Brooks.
"Her signature isn't proof she received anything."
"Correct," the detective said.
"We'll look at the underlying documents, the delivery records, and who controlled the account."
The acknowledgments were printed forms with Lena's name typed into a box.
A single crooked mark appeared on each line.
Julian compared them with Lena's actual handwriting and found no resemblance.
"Please don't ask her to prove this," Rachel told him.
"The trained interviewer will handle questions about her experience."
Julian listened.
He was learning that protecting his daughter sometimes meant resisting the urge to turn her into evidence.
That afternoon, Lena asked why a woman from the hospital child-protection team wanted to talk to her.
"Because adults need to understand what happened," Julian said.
"You can say what you remember. You can also say when you don't know."
"Will Meredith be there?"
"No."
"Will you?"
"I'll be nearby, but the interviewer will talk with you privately."
Lena held Captain Rabbit so tightly that its bent ear folded in half.
"What if I mess it up?"
"This isn't a test."
"Meredith always said I got things mixed up."
"You don't have to make your story perfect for anyone."
While Lena met with the interviewer, Julian waited in a corridor beside Mae.
A vending machine buzzed against the wall.
For an hour he felt every failure of the past year gathering under his skin.
At last the interviewer emerged and said only that Lena had been courageous and the team would follow established procedures.
She would not recount the child's confidential interview to him.
That evening, Lena leaned against his shoulder.
"I told her about the boxes," she said.
Julian kissed the top of her head.
"Thank you. You don't need to tell me again."
Lena went quiet.
May you like
Then she asked, "Dad, is it possible Meredith was glad when I got sick?"
Julian had no answer he could safely put in a child's heart.
