Meanwhile, back at the post, the door opened and a woman walked in. She was short, with the thick-waisted build of the Bay Yupik. Her eyes were dark and narrow, her expression wary. She was dressed in shabby slacks and a windbreaker, wore no makeup, and her long black hair was clean and neatly combed.

Prince strode forward, every inch the trooper. “Yes, maam? How may we help you?

The woman pulled a piece of paper from her windbreaker pocket. “I have this court order, she said. “From Anchorage.

“Whats your name, maam? Prince said, and took the paper.

“Natalie Gosuk, the woman replied, and Liam stopped lounging back in his chair and sat up straight. “That paper says I get to see my son.

Prince finished reading the order. “Yes, it does, she said, and passed it off to Liam.

He scanned it briefly. Judge Renee Legere had signed the order. It was legal, all right. He folded the order and handed it back to Natalie Gosuk, taking his first real look at the woman. She wasnt saying much, letting the court order speak for her. She kept her eyes lowered, but the curve of her mouth was set and resentful.

Four times shed been accused of assaulting a minor child, and Judge Legere had allowed visitation anyway. It was so easy in Anchorage, looking at the perp across a room, a perp cleaned up and sobered up and scared into something approaching civil behavior, it was so easy to judge them human and worthy of the rights of other humans, of second, third, fourth, fifth chances, and besides, the jails were all full. So what if she smacked her kid around a little? She was rehabilitated, look at her standing there next to her lawyer, all neat and tidy and vowing repentance and an ache in her heart for the son lost to her.

Out here, where the human rubber met the road, there was a different view. Here one lived next to the victims, broken, bleeding, bloodied, terrified, most of them so intimidated they couldnt even be brought to testify.

Since it didnt look like he was going to say anything, Prince stepped in. “Was there a problem with the order, Ms. Gosuk?

“She wont let me see him.

“Who wont?

“The woman my son lives with. She wont let me in the door of the house. I want you to make her let me in.

Prince looked at Liam. When he said nothing, she asked the woman, “Have you shown her this document?

Natalie Gosuk hesitated. “Not yet.

“Show it to her, Prince advised. “If she wont let you see the boy, come to us.

“This paper says she has to, Natalie Gosuk insisted.

“Yes, Prince said. “It does. Limited, supervised visitation. It means you can see him but you cant take him out of the house and you cant see him alone.

The womans eyes shifted. “They told me.

“Call us if you have any trouble.