“I’m sorry, I don’t know that name, but then I only started last week,” she said, turning to a colleague who had just come off the phone.

“Samantha Sullivan?” she repeated. “You’ve just missed her. She left to pick up her daughter from school. She’ll be back at ten tomorrow.”

Daughter, daughter, daughter. The word rang in Seb’s ears like a discharged bullet. If only he’d known, he wouldn’t—

“Would you like to leave a message for her?”

“No, thank you,” he said, as he turned and headed back toward the door.

“You might still catch her at Jefferson Elementary,” said the voice behind him. “They don’t come out until four.”

“Thank you,” repeated Seb, as he pushed his way through the door, but he didn’t look back. He walked out of the building and went in search of another cab. One immediately drew up by his side. He climbed in and was about to say Union Station, but the words came out as “Jefferson Elementary School.”

The driver eased out into the afternoon traffic and tucked in behind a long line of cars.

“I’ll double whatever’s on the meter if you get me there before four.”

The driver switched lanes, ran the next light, and shot through gaps so tight that Seb had to close his eyes. They drew up outside a massive neo-Georgian brick building with four minutes to spare. Seb looked at the meter and handed the driver a ten-dollar bill. He got out of the cab and quickly disappeared behind several little pockets of chatting mothers waiting for their offspring to appear. Shielded by a tree, he checked out the mums one by one, searching for a face he recognized. But he didn’t see her.

At four o’clock, a bell rang and the doors opened to disgorge a gaggle of noisy young girls dressed in white shirts, crimson blazers, and gray pleated skirts, with school bags swinging by their sides. They ran down the steps and straight to their mothers, as if attracted by magnetism.

Sam looked carefully at the girls. They must have been around five, but how could that be possible when Sam had been in England less than six years ago? And then he saw his little sister charging down the steps. The same mop of wavy black hair, the same dark eyes, the same smile that he could never forget. He wanted to run to her and take her in his arms, but he remained frozen to the spot. She suddenly smiled in recognition, changed direction, and ran toward her mother.