“You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you. You’re safe,” she would whisper over and over again, until they both drifted off to sleep. Becca wanted to believe that. They both did. Mo didn’t make that easy. In a perfect world, she would be a nonentity in their lives, locked away where she couldn’t hurt them anymore. Unfortunately, the story of a Malibu millionaire, a former philanthropist, a wife and mother, ordering homeless kids to kill for her made for some seriously spectacular headlines. Overnight, Maureen “Mo” Wilson became infamous. There were endless episodes of Dateline and 48 Hours that seemed to air nonstop, not to mention the relentless blogs and vlogs dedicated to Mo. There were People magazine covers and a podcast that had millions of hits and talk of a TV adaptation. Everyone was so obsessed with Mo’s story, but they seemed to have very little interest in the children whose lives she’d destroyed. Becca remembered the officer’s comment on the beach: “Just some dumb runaway.” These poor kids were as easily discarded and dismissed in death as they were in life. No one would ever know who they really were, what they dreamt about, or how they’d gotten caught up in Mo’s web.

Not surprisingly, Becca’s career was in the toilet. Placed on paid administrative leave, she considered walking away from the department. When she told her union lawyer that she planned to resign, the woman suggested a more cautious approach. “Lie low, continue your therapy, don’t talk to the press, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get your job back.”

Becca expressed her doubts. “After all the rules I broke, that seems unlikely.”

The lawyer laughed. “You should see the shit they let people get away with. Just be patient, and we’ll see what happens.” Becca agreed, promising herself she wouldn’t make any big decisions.

Once she was back on her feet though, Becca became obsessed with tracking down Raya. Despite Nina’s best efforts to secure housing, Raya didn’t last long. Two weeks in, she clashed with one of the residents and wound up back on the streets. Becca couldn’t stand the thought of Raya out there all alone. It consumed her thoughts, Raya’s face invading Becca’s dreams, or during her physical therapy. Becca expressed her concern to her mother, then spent the next hour listening to Virginia’s outraged objections, insisting that Becca focus on her own rehabilitation.

Becca knew it would eat away at her, so she waited until Virginia and Ash left for therapy, then she called an Uber and headed down to Skid Row.