The following morning I went to Daniel’s school.
The principal was compassionate and allowed me to review the security footage from the cameras by the front gate.
I sat in a small office and watched the video from the afternoon before.
Students streamed out of the building in groups, laughing, shoving one another, checking their phones.
Then I spotted Daniel walking beside a girl.
At first I didn’t recognize her. But when she turned her head slightly, I saw her face clearly.
“Maya,” I murmured.
Maya had come by our house a few times before. Quiet girl. Polite, almost cautiously so.
In the footage, they exited the gate and headed toward the bus stop. They boarded a city bus together.
Then they disappeared from view.
“I need to talk to Maya,” I said to the principal. “Is that possible?”
