Page 85

CHAPTER 84

FINALLY HOWELLS RESTS his case, and our lawyer, John Adkins, calls his first witness. He and the chief had agreed that Wendy was too fragile to testify—she’s shaking even now, and tears keep trickling down her cheeks—so Nancy Bankowski, our guardian ad litem, walks to the stand instead. She’s our court-appointed legal advocate—and, unlike Ellis Howells, she knows us (at least a little) and cares about what we want. She visited us at the chief’s last week, and asked us all kinds of questions about Wendy and the wolves.

As Judge Bevins listens, nodding now and again, Nancy explains how we’ve been cared for by Wendy for all of our conscious lives, and that Wendy has provided a loving and stable home. “Considering that the authorities have been unable to locate actual blood relatives,” Nancy says, “there is no one better suited to care for Kai and Holo than Wendy.” She turns to Howells and adds, “And even if a relative could be found, I still believe these children should be allowed to stay with the woman who raised them.”

“Please elaborate,” Adkins says. He knows she’s making a good case. That the judge is really listening.

“Barring neglect or abuse, our goal is always to keep kids with their parents. Since Kai and Holo don’t know who their parents are, they should be with the person they know and love. Wendy loved them, fed them, homeschooled them, and taught them the skills to survive. For all intents and purposes, she is their mother.”

Howells is scribbling madly on his yellow notepad. When it’s his turn to cross-examine, his questions sound more like accusations. “One of the skills Wendy Marsden taught Kai and Holo was thievery, is that right?”

Nancy blinks at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We have reports of campground thefts that date back years . Not valuable things, like camp stoves or flashy tents. But food. Batteries. Aspirin.”

Holo and I share a quick, worried glance.

“The sorts of things people living in the woods might need.”

“You have no proof that Kai and Holo had anything to do with those thefts,” Nancy says.

Howells paces, back and forth, back and forth. “Circumstantial evidence is still evidence ,” he says. “But let’s move on. Another of the guardian’s duties is to ensure that a child has proper medical and dental care. Did Wendy ever take these children to a medical professional?”

“I can’t be certain,” Nancy says.

She knows full well we never went to a doctor, barring that old windbag the chief brought into our jail cell. But Nancy doesn’t want to give Howells anything he can use against Wendy.

“What about a child’s emotional growth? Is raising children in utter isolation a healthy parenting strategy?”

Nancy crosses her arms across her chest. “Holo and Kai seem very well-adjusted.”

“And would you say that robbing a store and getting into fights at school is a sign of being well-adjusted?”

“I’d say that there were extenuating circumstances,” Nancy says.

Howells smirks at her. “And what might those be?”

Nancy looks back in defiance. “I’ve got plenty of opinions,” she says. “But why don’t you ask the two of them?”