“Even if Ms. Ramusa were so inclined, I do think they’ll use her”—Mr. Khouri raised one of his brows, as he searched for a word—“absconding as a reason to deny her application completely and immediately. They will make an example out of her.”

Absconding was another police officer word I knew because of Luca.

Which gave me an idea. “Come with us.”

“Winifred—” Mr. Khouri started to protest.

“No, think about it! Take her to our place, Mr. Khouri.”

But he was already shaking his head. “That is not an option, Ms. Owen-Ricci.”

“She’s right,” Sam said quietly. “Nora needs somewhere safe to have the baby, right? Where’s safer than a policeman’s house?”

“Well, the hospital for a start. . . .” Mr. Khouri sighed.

And then Aidan jumped in. “But they’re looking for her, right? The hospital is the first place they’ll look for a pregnant lady—and she just needs someplace to hide until she knows for sure she’ll be safe and they’ll let her stay, right?”

Mr. Khouri and Nora looked at each other, seemed to have a whole conversation with just their eyes, until he finally said to her, “We could force their hand, use my contact from the local newspaper to tell your story, plead your case to the media. . . .”

Just then the sound of sirens rang out again—we all fell silent as we listened to them go past the Esplanade and up Ocean Beach Road.

“Come with us,” I said again, stepping forward a little bit.

And then Sam stepped forward, too, to stand next to me. “We want to help,” he said.

Mr. Khouri tilted his head and frowned. “And how do you suggest we transport Ms. Ramusa to your house? I ride my bike to work, and unless one of you happens to have a car waiting in that bike shed. . . .”

Sometimes I wonder what we would have done if Pop hadn’t been home. If he hadn’t picked up the phone when I rang from the teachers’ lounge.

“Fred? Why aren’t you and Sam home yet, is everything okay?”

Or if Pop wasn’t my pop and he didn’t trust me the way he does, when I asked him to please drive to school and come get us—even though he hadn’t driven for months, and even after I refused to tell him why I needed him.

“I’m coming,” he said, and hung up.

He arrived quickly, and Sam met him out the front and led him to our classroom—where he opened the door and dropped his jaw.

“You’re the one they’re looking for?” Pop asked, and Nora nodded. “You know they’re walking up to people and pulling cars over on Main Street to ask everyone if they’ve seen a pregnant woman around town.”