“Your little girl is standing outside the school gates in this downpour,” Mrs. Patterson said, her voice tight with concern. “She’s absolutely drenched and crying her eyes out. I think something happened with your parents.”

I grabbed my keys and bolted from that meeting without a word of explanation, ignoring the startled faces of my colleagues. The drive to the school felt like it took hours instead of the twelve minutes it actually was. Rain hammered against my windshield so hard the wipers could barely keep up. All I could think about was Lily standing alone in this weather, wondering why nobody came for her.