Chapter 4: The Visit at the Door
The next morning, someone knocked while Connor was warming Lily’s bottle.
Amy opened the door and found a woman holding an identification card and a leather folder.
“I’m Helen Brooks from Family Services.
I need to speak with both parents.”
Amy gripped the doorframe.
“Has Loretta sent you?”
“I received a court referral.
May I come inside?”
Connor appeared behind Amy.
“You may, but we want our attorney present by telephone.”
Helen nodded.
“That’s your right.”
Their attorney, Rachel Moore, joined by speakerphone.
Helen sat at the kitchen table and placed three photographs in front of Amy.
“Mrs.
Hale claims these show Lily unattended during yesterday’s gathering.”
Amy stared at the first picture.
Lily lay in her carrier near the dining-room doorway.
“I was standing beside her.”
“You’re not visible in the photograph.”
“Because Loretta cropped me out.” Amy pointed to a gray strip at the edge.
“That’s my sweater.”
Connor picked up the second picture.
“The clock says eleven twenty.
Amy didn’t sign until after noon.
Mom was building a case before she handed over the paper.”
Helen turned to Amy.
“Have you recently experienced anxiety or difficulty coping?”
Amy looked at Connor.
He lowered his eyes.
“How does she know that?” Amy asked.
Connor set the photograph down.
“I called Mom two weeks ago.
You hadn’t slept, and I was worried.”
“You told her I couldn’t care for Lily?”
“No.
I asked her to sit with you for one afternoon.”
Amy’s voice cracked.
“And she came here, looked through my cupboards, and told me I was failing.”
Connor reached across the table, but Amy pulled her hand away.
“You gave her the one thing she needed.”
“I gave my mother information because I thought she loved us.”
Helen closed her folder halfway.
“Mrs.
Hale also submitted a written statement from a relative who says Amy became confused and left the baby alone.”
“Which relative?” Rachel asked through the phone.
“The name is withheld until the hearing.”
Amy stood so quickly that her chair scraped backward.
“She can say anything, and people come to inspect my home?”
Helen remained seated.
“I am here to see Lily, not to condemn you.”
“You saw the photographs.
You asked about my anxiety.
Maybe Loretta was right.
Maybe one tired day is enough to take everything from me.”
Connor rose, but it was Helen who placed Lily’s bottle in Amy’s hand.
“Feed your daughter.”
Amy blinked at her.
“Sit down and feed her while I finish my questions,” Helen said.
“A struggling mother asks for help.
An uncaring mother doesn’t spend an entire interview watching whether her baby’s bottle is getting cold.”
Amy sat.
Lily curled one tiny hand around her finger.
Connor crouched beside the chair.
“I should have told you about that call.”
“Yes, you should have.”
“I was afraid you’d think I doubted you.”
“You did doubt me.”
“I doubted myself,” Connor said.
“You were barely standing, and I kept going to work as if earning money excused leaving you alone.”
Amy’s tears fell onto Lily’s blanket.
Connor wiped one away, but he did not ask her to forgive him.
A knock sounded again.
Nora stood outside with two grocery bags and a small digital recorder.
“Loretta told everyone not to speak to you,” she said.
“So I brought lunch—and something she doesn’t know I have.”
Helen glanced at the recorder.
“What is on it?”
Nora pressed play.
Loretta’s voice filled the kitchen.
May you like
“Once Amy signs, the trust can start paying me.
By the time Connor understands, the court will already believe she’s unstable.”
