The doctor studied her face. “You don’t know him? But he chose you to ask? Why you?”

Trinity squirmed. “I think he’s avoiding his parents. And the parents don’t know me.”

“You just answered your own question.” Dr. Peres topped off her coffee. “A friend doesn’t ask you to help him avoid his parents. He needs to face his parents.”

“But what if his parents are wrong? What if they’re mean?”

The doctor sat down, wrapped both hands around her mug, and her brown eyes softened as she held Trinity’s gaze. “Most parents have their kids’ best interests at heart. I’m sure it hasn’t always been that way for you, but you’ve seen the exceptions instead of the majority.”

“But… what if he’s truly scared they might hurt him?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Did your friend say that?”

“Not exactly.” Trinity looked away. Jason had been deliberately vague. Possibly he was trying to manipulate her. For all she knew, he just wanted a ride to the mall to meet his friends.

“What did he say?”

“He said they punish.”

Dr. Peres was silent for a long moment. “If he fears he is going to be hurt, he needs to go to the police. Or a school counselor. It’s wrong of him to ask you for help. It was probably the easiest of his choices of where to ask for help, but the least effective.”

Trinity studied the tabletop. She’d been scared of her real mother. But she’d never hit her or hurt her. Not physically. Emotionally and mentally, she’d been battered by both her mother and grandmother.

They’d neglected every aspect of raising a child. Even the most basic. Trinity qualified for the free lunch program at the school, but her mother never registered her. She had good friends who shared their lunches, believing they were sneaking it behind the teacher’s back. Sharing food wasn’t allowed.

But the teacher had noticed and privately asked her about lunch. Trinity had tried to laugh it off, saying she wasn’t hungry during the day, when in truth she was starving. Often she’d had fast food leftovers for breakfast. How many times had she eaten cold fries? Or empty-calorie junk food left out on the table from her mother’s late-night binges? She ate whatever she could find. Opened any can.

She stared at the remains of her scone. Baked for her. Baked by someone who was excited to share it with her. The crumbs blurred.

What if Jason was in a similar situation? He didn’t seem hungry, but what if he was abused in other ways?

Her sharp-eyed teacher had made a report. Child welfare had paid a visit. The empty fridge and cupboards didn’t please them. When Trinity couldn’t tell them what she’d eaten in the last twenty-four hours, they were even more unhappy. She was rushed to a doctor who clucked her tongue over her weight and then took her to a house where there was always food. It wasn’t the healthiest food, but it felt like living in a grocery store.

“How old is your friend?”

“He’s a senior.”

“Then he’s old enough to ask the right people for help. It’s not your responsibility to try to save him. Just guide him in the right direction.”

She was right. Trinity thumbed a quick text to Jason with the doctor’s advice then shoved the phone aside. Part of her wanted to run to him and do everything in her power—which wasn’t much—to make him feel better. Her therapist had told her she was a natural nurturer and protector. It would always be inherent in her to help others, even to her own detriment. She had to learn to weigh the consequences and ask if she was hurting herself in order to make someone happy.

“You look miserable,” Dr. Peres said quietly.

Trinity exhaled. “You’re right. It’s not my problem. I’m sure there’s someone better suited to really helping him.”

“Good girl. I wish I’d been that smart at your age.”

“That means I should be heading up NASA by the time I’m your age.”

Dr. Peres laughed, and Trinity was struck by how beautiful she was.

“Johnson Creek flooded again,” Ray Lusco stated as he dropped his bag on his desk. “I didn’t think I was ever going to make it to work.”

“Are you surprised?” Mason asked his partner. He glanced at the time on his computer. Ray was barely five minutes late.

“Of course not. But the sucker is always the biggest headache around. Messes up traffic something awful.”

“I worry more about the people who live by it. I don’t know why they don’t move. Seems like we see the same homes on the news every time.”

“This is going to be a bad storm. When I watched the weather last night, there’s no letup in the coming week. We’re already breaking the rainfall records for this month. They’re lucky that landslide in the West Hills last night didn’t hurt anyone.” Mason frowned. At least they wouldn’t be crying drought next summer like this past hot summer. The snowpack in the Cascade Mountains benefited from the excessive rain.

“The dirt is oversaturated with water. All the slopes are treacherous. I’m stunned at the number of people who build homes on the sides of the hills around here. Who wants to wake up and find your neighbor’s kitchen has slid into your garage? Hate the rain.” Ray scowled.

“Did you ever get ahold of Trinity Viders’s guardian? Does she know we want to talk to the girl again?” Mason was done talking rain.