Marcus nodded. “That kid,” he said, meaning Sophie, “she’s got a spine.”
Sophie wandered in, hoodie on, hair damp from the rain. She froze when she saw Marcus, then remembered him. “You’re the investigator,” she said.
Marcus smiled. “That’s me.”
Sophie hesitated, then said, “Thank you for believing Grandpa.”
Marcus’s expression softened in a way I didn’t expect. “Thank you for speaking,” he replied. “Adults mess up because they think they know better. You saved him by not letting that happen.”
Sophie nodded once, satisfied, then went back to her room.
After Marcus left, I stood on my deck and watched the water. The city skyline glowed faintly in the distance. The wind moved through the trees, and the sound of it didn’t make me flinch anymore.
I thought about how close I’d come to dying without knowing why. How terrifyingly easy it had been for someone to decide I was worth more dead than alive. And how the only thing that stopped it was a child who trusted her instincts more than she feared being dismissed.
Years later, when Sophie left for college, she hugged me so hard my ribs hurt.
“Promise me something,” she said.
“Anything,” I replied.