“His file.” Gloria was whispering. “Why?”

“There was blood on Howard Gill’s shirt. A substantial amount, I’m sorry to say.”

“Blood?”

“He hasn’t been able to tell us where it’s from.”

“What? Why can’t he just say?”

“We’re making every effort, Mrs. Janes,” he said, “but you have to understand. Mr. Gill is confused. He struggles with severe mood swings and has, ah, difficulty staying connected to reality.”

“I don’t care if he’s in a bad mood. Or he don’t like reality. Who does?”

The man sneezed. Two times like I did, but Gloria didn’t tell him to stop. Then he said, “Officers are taking him now to collect his clothes from the campsite at the old bridge.”

“Why would you want his clothes?” Her words were all wavy again.

“Potential evidence. And we’ll want to type the blood on the shirt. No stone unturned. Just in case.”

“In case.”

They got quiet. I tried to get closer to hear but then a horrible stink filled up my nose. It smelled like rotten eggs. When I looked up, there was Carl. He was walking down the hallway. My heart went wobbly.

Two policemen had their hands under his arms. His big coat was hanging off his shoulders, and I could see a blue shirt with Telly J. sewed over a pocket. Carl’s hands were pushed together tight because he was wearing handcuffs. I’d seen those before in cartoons. He waved his fingers at me and said, “Hello, Little Fawn.” He sad-smiled and I forgot for a second that he stole Rowan and I sad-smiled back.

Then he slowed down right in front of my orange plastic chair and said fast, “I’m sorry I hurt him. Stan was afraid. Urh. He was scared. He pushed me. And I wanted to keep him safe. That’s why I did it. To keep Magic Boy safe.” He patted brown marks on Telly’s shirt. Then he was crying and talking extra fast and wet. “But they took Girl. Took Girl away. Urh. Won’t tell me where, until I say. I don’t know what to say yet. I don’t know what they want. They got my Girl.”

One policeman shoved him hard, “Get moving, Gill,” and he scuffed his feet down the hallway. He went around the corner. He took most of his smell with him.

I felt shivery cold and my teeth clonked together. I sat on my hands and pulled my arms in close and stared at the plant without blinking. Around the leaves were tiny webs. White bugs crawled around like they had nowhere to go. I tried to follow the bugs as they climbed up and down and not think about Carl or Girl or what that man in the office was saying about blood and Carl’s shirt and Rowan being a balloon.