Isaac shrugged in frustration. “I don’t know, but something isn’t right. Letti said that she’d done her job, that this is exactly what was supposed to happen. What did she mean?”

Instead of answering, Sadina turned to her mom. “You’ve been a boss for years. Time to earn your money.” She smiled as she said it, and Isaac realized she didn’t care what was going on. She’d been reunited with Trish and her mom in one fell swoop and the lady who’d tormented her was lying on the ground with a dented head.

Ms. Cowan was ready, taking on the mantle.

She walked over to where the man named Minho and his—mom? grandma?—were standing side by side, several feet onto the bridge. On the way over, Ms. Cowan leaned over and picked up the gun that Letti had dropped. She shoved it in her back pocket as if she knew exactly what she was doing. Isaac knew the woman had never shot a gun—or even held one—in her long life.

“You said your name’s Minho?” she asked the man, whose expression was caught somewhere between dark brooding and relief. “And you’re Roxy?”

Roxy was the one to answer. “That’s who we are and we’ve been traveling for weeks to find a better place. Looks like we took a wrong turn. Mind telling us who all these people are? Why that nasty woman pulled a weapon on me? It’s a good thing Minho showed up because not a one of you lifted a damn finger!”

“She had a gun,” Ms. Cowan replied, calm soothing her voice. As if that were answer enough, she then walked over to Timon, squatting and shrunk against the railing. It was the first time Isaac had ever seen him look small. “And you? I hear your name is Timon? You chose the wrong daughter from the wrong mother to kidnap. What the hell is going on? Why’d you take them? Why’d you kill Kletter?”

Surprising everyone watching, she then kicked Timon in the leg, though it barely budged in response.

“Explain yourself!” she yelled, then kicked him again. The trace of calm from seconds earlier had vanished in the smoke of rage.

Timon wearily gazed up at her. “Lady, I’m as confused as you are. I didn’t kill your friend, for one thing. And another, I came on this mission to bring your daughter back to people . . . People who need her to do good things. Not bad things. Good things. Other than that, I have no idea what’s going on. Letti was hiding something, that’s for sure.”