15
HALLIE
Maeve’s dad had run out on his family three years ago, and two years ago, her mom had been rushed into hospital with a perforated gallbladder. Dair offered to look after Maeve while his aunt recovered from surgery, and Maeve had hung out in the office each day after school until he finished work, just a temporary arrangement, or so everyone thought. When her mom came back home, Maeve still kept showing up.
Now she had a little desk in the corner of the Investigations section, and there was always someone around to assist with her homework. She also liked to help out by formatting reports and franking the mail, and when she proved reliable, Blackwood had made it official and started paying her to work for five hours per week.
And yesterday afternoon, Maeve had skipped into the
