The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

To keep Daria quiet, Autumn bent down and said softly, "This is our little secret, just between you and Grandma. We won't tell anyone else, all right? Not even your dad."

"Why not?" Daria looked up at her, confused.

Autumn smiled and spun another story. "If the secret gets out, your mom won't be able to come home. She has to beat the monsters first, and she can only do that if no one knows."

Daria nodded solemnly. "Okay then."

"Pinky promise?" Autumn held out her finger, delighted that Daria was warming up to her. "Pinky promise-if you break it, you have to be a silly puppy!"

Daria giggled and linked her pinky with Autumn's.

Today, Daria was happier than she'd been in a long time. It was the first time someone had shared stories about her mom with her.

Autumn told her tale after tale about Julie. She painted her as heroic and kind, all the things a child would want to hear-even though, in truth, Julie had never spent a single day taking care of Daria.

Soon, it was time to leave. Caterina came to collect Daria.

As they headed out, Autumn called after them, "Bring her back the day after tomorrow. I really enjoy having Daria here."

"Of course, Mrs. Walker. You can see her anytime you want." Caterina smiled, her mind already on Autumn's generosity.

On the drive back, Caterina got a call from Joseph. She detoured and dropped Daria off at his place. Joseph had been caught up with his own distractions lately, but today he finally had time for his son.

When Daria came in, Joseph waved at him. "Come here, buddy."

Daria looked nothing like Julie, and for Joseph, that was a good thing he had passed on all his features, and if Daria had looked any more like his mother, Joseph doubted he'd feel much affection for the boy at all.

"Dad!" Daria ran over with a grin.

"So, where did you go today?" Joseph asked, barely glancing up.

"We went to the amusement park!" Daria's eyes shone. "Dad, is it true that once my mom beats the monsters, she'll come back?"

Kids and their promises they just can't help themselves.

"You don't have a mom," Joseph said, his voice flat. He hated when Daria brought

up his mother. He figured it was all from watching too many cartoons.

"That's not true! Grandma Walker said my mom went to fight monsters!" Daria insisted, his voice trembling.

The nanny nearby nearly dropped her mug, looking panicked.

Joseph's expression darkened. He turned to Caterina. "What's going on? Who's telling him this stuff?"

Caterina fumbled for an answer. "We went to the amusement park, maybe another kid said something? They were playing at the ball pit, pretending to fight monsters. kids bragged that their moms are superheroes. You know how it is." Cóntent

It was only half the truth.

Joseph looked at Daria. "Which Grandma Walker?"

"The one at the amusement park!" Daria said earnestly, not understanding the difference. In his mind, a grandma was just a grandma.

Joseph didn't press further. He picked Daria up and told Caterina, "Don't take him to those places anymore."

"Yes, sir." Caterina breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Daria was too young to explain clearly.

Night fell.

Anastasia and Herman had dinner at Salstrom Manor, and Anastasia decided to stay over.

Later, Herman got in his car to meet

Jason, who'd called him out for a

hover

chat. Jason was uneasy about Anastasia's case-something about it didn't sit right. He was also worried Herman might do something reckless, so he wanted to talk.

They met at a cozy tea room with low tables and floor cushions. Jason was already there, pouring tea.

Herman slid open the door, took off his shoes, and sat down cross-legged.

He got straight to the point. "What's up?"

Jason didn't waste words. "Herman, about Anastasia's case—I hope you think things through. No matter what you've found, or how far you've gone, don't act on impulse."

He paused. "I heard about Ben's

sudden death. The guy was an oldnoveldrama

warden, had connections, no real

beef with Anastasia. He was just a pawn I've been transferred to Einsberg, so I'm not handling these cases anymore, but I have a gut feeling this goes way up. Even your family, the Salstroms, might be in over their heads."

Herman's eyes narrowed, cold and determined. "Let's find out, then. I don't care who's behind this-even if it's someone at the very top, I'm going to get to the bottom of it."