I made her get in the car, because I could see her hands shaking and the baby needed to be out of the August heat. Hannah buckled the infant into a car seat I hadn’t even noticed sitting by the door, one she must have bought herself, and then she folded her hands in her lap and finally started to explain. “Her name is Grace,” she said quietly. “One of the housekeepers here, Marisol, had her three weeks ago. She’s nineteen, Mom. She has nobody. And two days ago, she left.”

I turned in my seat. “Left? What do you mean, left?” Hannah’s eyes filled. “She couldn’t do it. She was terrified, she had no family, no money, and she panicked. She left a note saying she couldn’t take care of Grace and that she trusted me. Then she was just gone.” I gripped the steering wheel, my heart pounding. “Hannah, you cannot simply keep a baby someone abandoned. Do you understand what you’ve done? Has anyone called the authorities?” She looked at me, and what she said next was the part I was not prepared for at all.