The lawyer arrives—Ms. Bennett. Early forties. Precise. Dark suit, nothing unnecessary.
She’s already taking notes before she’s properly seated. Then she gets straight into it—clear, controlled, no wasted words.
Welfare concern.
Mandatory reporting.
Preliminary investigation.
I sit across from her and try to keep up, but this is all new to us.
“What happens next?” I ask.
“We wait.”
I hold her gaze. “That’s it?”
“For now.” She turns a page. “If they escalate, it’ll likely be more interviews or formal statements.Withcounsel present.”
“And if they don’t reach out?”
“It fades.”
I nod.
“We were planning to sail for a while.”
“That would be inadvisable.” No hesitation. “You should remain accessible.”
“Seriously?” Charlotte looks at me, then back at Ms. Bennett. “For how long?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t give you an exact timeframe at the moment.”
I let out a slow breath.
This is un-fucking-believable.
“Surely we can’t be expected to stay here indefinitely.”
“Charlotte is free to go, but you leaving would raise concerns.”
Lines form on Charlotte’s face. “But Dane hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Ms. Bennett shakes her head. “I’m only telling you how it’ll be perceived by the authorities.”
“I won’t leave without him. We haven’t been apart in fourteen years. We’re not starting now.”
Ms. Bennett removes her glasses and sets them on the table. “Andthat, Ms. Gallagher, is part of the problem. I’ve only just met you, and already it’s clear that the bond between you and your brother is unusually intense.”
Charlotte glances at me, her composure slipping.
“The two of you living together, on your own, in a private home and keeping to yourselves reinforces what people already think.” She folds her hands. “It’s not a crime. But from the outside, it looks unusual. It draws attention.”
Charlotte’s eyes flick to mine, and I catch the increasing worry there.
“I don’t care what people think. We’re not separating.”
“I’m not instructing you to,” Ms. Bennett says. “But I am asking you to consider how it reads.”
