I tell about Jewel getting sick and being taken away from Baby. I tell about Ree giving the duffel bag to Daddy for safekeeping and finding the two books and the key.

I tell about how me and my friends figured out she and Baby lived in Lexington, Kentucky, and the silver key, and the black suitcase, how the suitcase had the postcards, photographs, and medicine bottles in it.

Dr. Wells nods, looking at the labels on the bottles. “We knew Miss Knight had some, shall we say, psychological issues, but the medication we’ve been giving her hasn’t helped. This information,” she says, smiling for the first time, “will make all the difference.”

Then I tell about the postcards, how Jewel was traveling across the country east to west to someone named Sis at Heartwell Manor, and how me and Karina and Daria figured out that Sis—who is Jewel’s sister—lives at the Heartwell Manor in Idaho. “But we don’t know what her sister’s name is because it might not be Knight.”

I kind of glare at the nurse. “I was going to ask Jewel about that before, but we got thrown out of her room.”

I tell about Baby coming to the hospital looking for Jewel (I leave out the part about Ree sneaking him in to see Jewel before that), him ending up at East Valley Humane Society and them putting him up for adoption soon. Which would be the most terrible thing ever.

Finally, I end with, “They need each other, Baby and Jewel.” And the telling is done.

No one says a word. Then Nurse Dillard says, “That’s some story, Piper.”

Miss Madison, who is Jewel’s new caseworker, holds out her hand. “Can I see those, Piper?” I’m surprised by how reluctant I am to hand the postcards and photographs over, but I do.

Miss Madison quickly flips through them and trots off for Jewel’s room.

Dr. Wells gets on the phone and calls the doctor in Lexington whose name is on Jewel’s medicine bottles. She nods a lot and says, “Uh-huh,” and, “Yes, I see.”

Dr. Wells puts her phone back in her pocket. She writes a bunch of things down on a clipboard and hands it to Nurse Dillard. “We need to start Miss Knight on these medications right away.”

Miss Madison comes out of Jewel’s room, smiling. She’s typing something into her phone. She’s got the fastest thumbs I’ve ever seen.

“Her sister’s name is Bernadette,” Miss Madison says, holding up her phone in a way that makes you wonder if this Bernadette is inside the phone, just waiting.

“She does live in Heartwell Manor in Boise, Idaho, and Jewel was, in fact, on her way to go live there too. She’s been expecting Jewel for months. She’s been worried sick about her.”

“What happened?” I ask.