But on the way to my house I couldn't keep quiet another minute.
I said, "Your father loves you very much. I hope you'll always remember that."
JoLynn's head turned sharply in my direction. "Are you talking about my new father?"
"No. You could fool Shauna and everyone else with your faulty-memory story, but not me."
I looked at her from the corner of my eye. She seemed terrified.
"Your secret is safe," I said. "You need to know there are angels on your shoulder. Tiny, invisible versions of the angels at Glenwood Cemetery."
"What do you know about me, Abby? Who have you talked to?"
I regretted saying anything now. I couldn't tell her I'd spoken with her biological family. "Let's just say I have this feeling you remember what happened before you were dropped off at that bus station."
"I can't talk about that. Not even to you," she said.
"I understand. Answer me this, though. Why did you go to the cemetery every week?"
"Because after I learned the Richter story, I wanted to be loved as much as Katarina was. If I was close to her every week, maybe I could become what she was— someone's beloved child."
"You are that, JoLynn. You are that."
I saw a tear slip down her cheek and I reached over and squeezed her hand. "I'm not a big believer in secrets. Mostly because my job is to uncover them. But don't be afraid. I've been trusted with one secret I'll take to my grave."