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"We’ll talk about that later," Liz offered "Privately We can talk to the store owners and explain I’ll pay them back"

Melissa flushed, then sed "I, u "

"Okay Thanks, Liz"

"Did your friends know Bettina was gone?"

Abby shook her head "Melissa said not to tell She said we’d be taken away and put in different homes That we’d never find our way back to each other"

"I wasn’t going to let thereen eyes flashing with deterhtly i Of course Lizbrother and he’d taken off without a word, leaving her behind

"A couple of ured it out," Melissa ad us food soht I could take care of us both"

"It’s a big responsibility," Liz conceded "You did the best you could, but the situation was irinned "She’s read all your books, just like Dad He has theo see hi on first," Liz explained, stalling for time She didn’t even knohere Roy was, let alone what he’d been convicted of or where he was incarcerated

"Dad’s really proud of you," Melissa told her shyly "He talked about you all the time"

Liz wasn’t sure how she felt about that Roy’s pride hadn’t extended to getting in touch with her As his daughters had proven, finding her wasn’t all that hard

Abby raised her face to the ceiling "The lights are on" She grinned "It won’t be dark any’s back on," Liz confirmed "Even cable"

Their eyes lit up "We can watch TV?" Abby asked

Tyler looked at Liz and grinned as if to point out he wasn’t the only kid anted to watch TV all the time

"Not until your hoht" He sighed heavily, as if his life was pain

Liz laughed "It’s true I insist on reading nights every week, where we just sit quietly and read"

"I like to read," Melissa said "But Dad and Bettina let us watch TV all the tiht "If you two are done, why don’t you take your plates to the sink and rinse therocery store"

When they’d rinsed their plates, she sent Tyler to see if the upstairs bathrooe to check if there was any laundry detergent by the old washer She and Melissa sat back at the table and started to an "But not toowe’ll be here"