“Gabriel, I’m writing all of this down,” she said. “I’m also required to report it, and I think you should go to the authorities yourself as well. Today, if you can.”
“I will,” I said. “I just need a few more days before the people responsible find out.”
She studied me for a moment, then nodded. “Then make sure she’s safe in the meantime.”
On the way home, our neighbor across the street, Doña Carmen, flagged me down from her front steps. She was seventy-four and had lived on our street longer than anyone.
“Gabriel. Is the girl all right?”
“Why do you ask?”
She pulled out her phone with shaking hands. “I didn’t know who to tell. You’re never home, and that woman…” She scrolled through photos. Sofia dragging trash bins to the curb near midnight. Sofia sitting alone on the back step in the rain. Sofia locked outside one evening, knocking on the door while laughter came from inside.
