How could I answer that question, when I didn’t know myself the outcome? I stood and looked around, finding an apron, my mom’s, in the drawer she kept it in, neatly folded as if she’d just had it on yesterday. My dad hadn’t gotten rid of anything of hers. In fact, I was sure the closet in his bedroom would still be full of her clothes unless Isabella had packed everything up. I hoped she hadn’t.

I slid the apron over my head and tied the strings at my back. “This used to be your grandmother’s apron,” I said to Effie.

“She’s in heaven,” Effie said as she opened the same drawer and took out a second, smaller apron. “This one is mine. I got it for my birthday.”

“Oh, that’s a pretty one. Shall I help you tie it?”

She nodded.

“Okay, let’s get started. Where does mommy keep her iPad?”

“Here.”

I followed her into the living room, where she opened a drawer in the coffee table and pulled out the tablet, punching in the code before handing it to me.

“It’s 0-0-0-0.” Effie shook her head. “I cracked that one in no time.”

I ruffled Effie’s hair and led her back to the kitchen, looked up the recipe saved in the Favorites tab, and we got to work. It took much more time than I expected because Effie insisted on using only the colors of M&M’s that Luke liked best, and she patterned them into individual smiley faces. We spent the rest of the day playing in her room or watching TV, and I reheated lasagna I found in the fridge for dinner. At eight o’clock, I took her to her room and read her a story before putting her to bed, anxious that I hadn’t heard from Isabella yet. When I’d tried her phone a few times, it had gone right to voice mail.

I dialed Salvatore, who answered on the third ring.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Everything okay?”

He sounded rushed. “Yes, it’s fine. I’m just wondering when your meeting will be finished.”

He sighed. “I’m not sure, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just lock the doors and go to bed if you’re tired. Have you heard from your sister?”

“No, and she won’t pick up the phone.” Someone called his name, a man I thought might be Roman.

“I have to get back, Lucia.”

“Okay. Call me when you’re done. I don’t care about the time.”

“Make sure the doors are locked.”

“I will.”

“Be safe.”