Caitlyn’s face was a stone wall. She sat hunched over in the chair next to Deputy Andrew’s desk, her hair creating a curtain, but Travis could still tell she was prepared for battle. Fine. He was too.

Deputy Andrews pulled him into a different room and Lucinda waited with Caitlyn to ensure she didn’t fly the coop again.

“She was at the bus stop in Copper Beach. Had a ticket for a bus to Portland. Do you know anyone there? Any family?”

“No.” Travis couldn’t bother to force life into his dull voice. “No one.”

“She begged me not to bring her back.” When Travis visibly crumbled at his words, Gavin rushed to add, “Not because of you. She kept complaining about her father, something about him taking her away from you.”

Travis blinked, but his lids rasped over dry eyes and he couldn’t tear up, no matter how scared he had been. The recovery hadn’t caught up to reality yet, but he was sure there would be an implosion at home later.

Travis didn’t understand a thing that went through his sister’s head. If she worried about someone taking her away from Travis, why would she run? Didn’t she understand that put them more at jeopardy than anything else? When would she learn to trust him with her problems and not just run away?

“I’ll let you take her home,” Gavin said, rising from his chair and reaching out to Travis, who still sat as the events of the afternoon sunk in. “Get some rest. She’s fine now. Just focus on that.”

Travis feared he had forever lost the ability to focus, and his brain would be permanently stuck in chaos mode. Anything else seemed impossible with Caitlyn around.

Before he could fill his lungs with enough air for the lecture he was preparing, Caitlyn beat him to the punch.

“How could you not tell me?” Caitlyn screamed and slammed her backpack down on the linoleum of the kitchen, causing Travis to freeze with their front door still open and Mr. Wigglesworth to run to her bedroom to hide.

“Tell you what?” Travis asked, but the bowling ball in his gut already knew what.

“So, I was walking past the office after lunch like always. The computer room is in the front hall and I like to check out stuff online before fifth period. Today, there was a group huddled around the closed door, trying to make out what all the yelling happening inside is about. Want to guess? No? It was Pastor Ricky and the principal, arguing over whether or not he was allowed access to my school records. Ricky said he needed them for his custody case, and Principal Samwell said that you and Child Welfare had made it clear that he had no legal right to the files and that he was not to allow Ricky access.”

Travis could at least sigh in relief that the school had backed him up.

“Which means that you knew! He’s trying to get custody of me, and you knew and didn’t tell me.”

“Sit, Caitlyn. We can talk about it now.”

“No! I don’t want to talk about it now. I want to know why you didn’t tell me. Were you just going to give me over to that asshole? Finally be rid of me so you could leave town?”

“Of course not. I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure how to bring it up. I didn’t want to upset you. Plus, just because he has a piece of paper proving he’s your father doesn’t mean that a judge is going to grant him custody. Ginger already said that Child Welfare is backing their decision to place you in my custody. That’s not going to change and I didn’t want you to worry needlessly.”

“I’m seventeen years old, Travis. I had a right to know what was happening. If Mom were here …”

A hiccup escaped from Caitlyn’s lips and Travis closed his arms around her.

“Believe me, not a day goes by that I don’t wish she were here. Not because I don’t want to be here, taking care of you, but because I miss her. And you miss her. Because she made everything better, and let’s be honest, I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing. But I’m trying. I’m sorry I made the wrong choice, but I just didn’t want to upset you with more thoughts of that asshole who is your father.”

“He doesn’t have a chance, then?”

“He has a chance. A pretty good chance, except your age works against him. By the time he even gets to the point where he can sue me for custody, you’ll be almost eighteen. No judge is going to make that decision when you are days or even weeks from being an adult and being able to make that call for yourself. Plus, I am fighting him with everything I have. I promise. You’re stuck with me for life.”

Caitlyn’s body went limp in Travis’s arms as the fight left her. “You should have told me.”

“You’re right. I should have,” Travis said, tucking Caitlyn in by his side and guiding her to the sofa. “How about an evening of Elementary, Aunt Lucinda’s mac and cheese, and ice cream?”

“No brownies?”

“They were all gone.”

Caitlyn gave a shaky sigh and let Travis turn on the TV while staying plastered to his side. They’d get to dinner later.