Chapter 6: The System**
The doorbell rang at exactly ten o'clock. Peter opened it to find a warm-faced woman in a practical beige cardigan holding a thick binder. It was Mrs. Higgins, the CPS caseworker who had been assigned to their file.
"Mr. Hayes?" she asked gently. "I'm here to do the follow-up assessment."
Peter welcomed her inside. He had prepped Drew as best he could, promising that this woman was there to help, not to take them away. Mrs. Higgins sat at the kitchen table, offering the children small, encouraging smiles. She didn't push. She asked simple questions about what they liked to eat and what their favorite cartoons were, slowly building a bridge of trust.
Eventually, she turned to Drew. "Drew, your uncle tells me you were incredibly brave. Can you tell me a little bit about the house you lived in?"
Drew’s small hands gripped his knees. He looked at Peter, who gave him a reassuring nod. Haltingly, the seven-year-old explained the locks, the darkness, and the hunger. He explained how he had broken the glass block in the basement window with a rusty pipe to get Lily out.
Mrs. Higgins took careful notes, her professional demeanor masking the heartbreak in her eyes. Before she left, Lily quietly walked up to her and handed her a crayon drawing. It was a picture of a stick figure with a beard holding the hands of two smaller stick figures.
"Keep it," Lily whispered.
May you like
"I will treasure it," Mrs. Higgins replied. At the door, she turned to Peter. "You have a strong case, Mr. Hayes. We will be recommending that temporary placement remains with you."
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