She shrugs. “It’s all over the internet. That’s all anyone’s talking about at school.”

Of course it is. “Okay, you can’t tell anyone this, but no, the bag was actually Jake’s. Which is why he took a paternity test a couple of days ago.”

Her eyes widen, and I hold up one “shhh” finger before she can start firing questions at me.

“It was negative. So now they’re testing Penn, because they found one of his shirts in that bag.”

No need for her to know that Penn’s Titans shirt was little Lullaby Doe’s first and only outfit. The entire extent of the poor thing’s wardrobe.

“Penn’s really mad,” Landry says.

“Yeah. I can’t blame him. He wants Mom to believe him without needing a test for proof.” The fact that I’m echoing what Jake told me has not escaped my attention. “But it’s not that simple. The police are not in the business of just believing people.”

“Is there something they can do about the threats?” Landry holds up her phone, which helps me follow the derailment in her train of thought. “Something other than just monitoring and reporting them?”

“I’m sure Mom’s doing everything she can. And I don’t want you to worry about any of that. The police have it under control, and now that they know the baby died of natural causes—”

“As opposed to being killed by her own mother?” Her big brown eyes look wide and haunted. Which is exactly why people try to shield kids from stuff like this.

“Well, I don’t think they actually thought that. But again, they had to rule it out. Which they’ve done now. So I really think things are about to calm down and go back to normal. Speaking of which …” I stand and back toward her door, careful to keep an easy smile on my face. Battling horror and sadness with a fanatically casual affectation. “What do you want on your pizza?”

Finally Landry gives me a small smile. “I’ll take pepperoni.”

Down the hall, I start to knock on Penn’s door, to ask if he wants to drive to Daley with me, but my hand freezes with my knuckles an inch from the wood when I hear my mother’s voice.

“I’m sorry, Penn,” she says, and I spin away from the door to flatten my back against the wall. I shouldn’t listen. But I’m going to. “I didn’t intend to spring it on you in front of everyone. I thought Beckett was picking up Landry, and we could have the test done before they got home.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Penn’s probably sitting with his back to her. Shutting her out. He does that when he’s mad. Or upset. “Secrets have never served this family well anyway.”