“Elise, I know you’re not unfit. I know Brody through my son and I agree with your assessment of his character. I’ve looked over all the paperwork, I’ve read the reports, I’ve spoken with her teachers who tell me Irene is a great kid, happy, smart. They did say that once a month she’s easily upset for a few days. Around the fifteenth.”

“It’s them. They call her and she’s a mess for a few days after. They tell her she’s going to come and see them, to ask me to see them. They promise to take her to Europe and to let her ride horses. They give her nightmares. She’s afraid they’ll take her. I’ve never said anything negative about them to her, but they are a cancer in her life.”

“Are you saying you want to move to end their contact with Irene?”

“I’ve given it a lot of thought. Yes. They’re not a positive influence on her at all. I try to put a positive spin on it, but it’s been nearly a year since we moved out here and it’s only getting worse. They’ve begun to ask her questions about me all the time, to encourage her to ask me to let them do things they’re not allowed to do. I sent a letter through Frank asking them to stop it. But they’ve now taken to calling my parents and threatening them; they call me too.”

Bill sighed. “I tend to agree with your assessment about the negative effects of contact with them. The question is, do you want me to push for a dismissal and leaving status as is, or do you want me to answer this change in circumstance with our own? Petition the court to cease all contact with her. It’ll be more costly, and we’ll most likely need some expert intervention here. Interviews, assessments, that sort of thing. But you’d have them out of your life and out of Rennie’s life. If you choose to go this way, I’m fairly certain we can move the case here.”

“Can I have a few hours to think on it? It’s the fifteenth and I’ve got to get home to be ready for the call. Rennie’s with Brody this afternoon. He took her and her friend Nina to the park. He loves my kid and she loves him. He’s good for her. It’s good for her to see men like him and my father. Steadfast men who don’t hurt women or walk away from them.”

“Look, I don’t usually . . . If it were me, I’d think getting these people away from you once and for all, totally away, would be worth pursuing. And you’d have the added plus of using this attack on you to do it. Frank agrees, by the way.”

She stood. “Thank you, Bill. I appreciate it. I’ll leave a message on your voice mail later tonight which way I want you to go.”

Brody hugged her when she got to the park. She looked around, wondering if someone with a camera was lurking. “Your mom and dad are at your place right now. They went to the deli, said they were making dinner. They said to tell you they were staying for dinner and then they’d go to the lecture. They want to be there when the Sorensons call.”

“They worry, especially on the fifteenth. How’s Rennie?” “She’s burst into tears twice, but mainly she’s fine. My god, Shorty, these people are making her physically sick.” He looked so concerned it sliced right to her heart. Made her love him even more, if such a thing were possible.

“I know. I’d hoped it would get better. I try to be upbeat. I have a picture of them in her room; I encourage her to send them things, pictures she draws, that sort of thing. But she took the picture down before Christmas and she won’t send them anything.”

“Hey girls, time to go!” he called out and they came running.

“Thank you for being here for her. For me.”

“Nowhere else I’d rather be and that’s a fact. I always sleep like a rock after hanging out with Rennie for any amount of time.”

Rennie ran into her mother’s arms and began chattering about her day, about Brody picking them up, how he’d scored them corn dogs and chips and had let them go really high on the swings.

They dropped Nina home and walked back to Elise’s house. Rennie stayed between the two of them, holding on to their hands tightly. Brody looked worried but kept a smile on his face. Elise’s parents had prepared a nice dinner and they all ate. Or Elise pretended to eat, but nausea killed her appetite. Rennie threw a tantrum over the lack of pickles and then cried more, worried she’d made her pops sad.

“It’s nearly six, your other grandparents will be calling soon. Where do you want to take the call?” Elise asked as she pulled the cell from her bag.

“Pops, can I sit in your lap, please? That way if I feel lonely or sad, you’re right there to hold on to.”

Paul met his daughter’s eyes first and then managed a big smile for Rennie. “I’m not going to turn down any excuse I get to snuggle with you. Come on into the front room then, so you can hear better.” He took the phone from Elise and squeezed her hand briefly before taking Rennie into the other room.

Elise put her head down for a moment.

“It’ll be over in ten minutes, Elise. Tell us what the lawyer said today.” Her mother patted her hand.

So she did and watched both Brody and her mother get angry.

Brody shook his head. “I’m what makes you unfit? That’s total crap. I’d never do anything to hurt you. Either one of you.”

She took his hand, pressing it to her cheek. “Of course not. They had a stack of photographs, but Bill pointed out none of them were bad. They’ve been using investigators again, but it was shots of us playing at the park, working in the yard, out for dinner, all totally normal. Rennie was in almost every shot looking perky and happy, and well loved. Someone is always touching her or kissing her. The kid isn’t wanting for attention, I’ll say that.” And then she told them what she’d decided.