I told the officer to give me a moment, then I pressed the intercom myself. “Daniel, get down before you hurt yourself,” I said, my voice steadier than it had been in years. He dropped back onto the driveway, red-faced, and all three of my children stared up at the camera as if they’d never seen me before. “Mom,” Rebecca said, her cheerfulness completely gone now, “what is going on? Why is there a guard? Why doesn’t the code work?”

“Because I changed everything,” I said. “The locks, the codes, the passwords. And a few other things you’re going to want to hear.” I let the silence sit for a moment, the way they had let mine sit every time I called. “You told me to stop calling. To figure it out myself. So I did. Three months ago I sat in my kitchen and finally understood that the only time any of you wanted me was when you were counting my house, my savings, and your father’s life insurance.” Katie started to protest, but I kept going. “So I called Gerald Brennan. And I want you to understand exactly what I decided before you drove all this way expecting a Christmas you haven’t bothered to show up for in over a year.”