THE SECRET IN THE FRAME

ing attention

y face calm while my brain ran in a diff

tche

rever he was, mind already three rooms forward. The way his staff operated around

e sometimes when he th

rying to reme

-

ni

med Voss

carry a briefcase because a

the one I had no access to - and

pposed to h

sound in a way the archite

gme

r this continues t

I know t

"If sh

"She

t know that. Yo

will fin

le

've been sealed for four years. But sealed does

otsteps moving a

n the corridor be

t my

readsheet I w

d rec

r y

as four

-

ght from my bathroom

find something

hl

closed adoption four years ago. The agency was called Vantage Placements. They

went

baby. She was the o

oing on?"

't kno

hl

se, J

ng p

you tomorro

-

me at m

was hungry, I was trying to be a normal person - and he walked in

d at eac

awake,"

awake,

ter. Filled a glass.

en in the middle of the nig

n quiet tod

lways

like

ked a

like the Ashford - not broken open. Just - less defended. Like t

ed to

most

was young and alone and in no position to fight an

le," I

d. Third time h

y mouth. Like something borrowed. "

pped halfway

en went v

e glass d

rd that,

idor carr

mething behind his

on doesn't conce

ka

hl

time he us

iss B

n

t it hit me so

okay,"

y face for a

"Go to

we

edroom door for a moment

d rec

with m

y entire life before I eve

his was c

e o

-

e buzze

a

ge, not

of a fraud investigation. Specifically - illegal closed adoptions arranged privatel

d at th

ity?" I t

g bubble

ppea

red a

hloe. It was t

it thre

one down o

at the

just kno

en involv

ll o

he beg