Mira’s lawyer moved the chair nearest the door before the family entered.
“Leave her a clear way out,” she said.
Mira had not meant to block it. That was a poor reason to leave it where it stood. She shifted her own chair back and waited while the advocate checked the arrangement with Nara’s sister in the corridor. The family had chosen to hear the account in person, with the advocate beside her, and to end the meeting whenever she wished.
Eli was not in the room. Neither was Tessa. Mira had expected their absence to feel like abandonment. Instead it removed the easiest people to watch while she avoided looking at the woman who mattered.
The investigator sat at the side of the table with the protected statement. The original account would be preserved; copies for different purposes would carry the relevant information without turning every shelter address into a public attachment. Mira’s lawyer had explained that the process did not let her hide a relevant witness merely because the witness lived in a protected place.
Nara’s sister entered without looking at Mira. She put her bag under the table, checked where the advocate was sitting and asked whether the statement identified who had struck the blow.
