“Wayne doesn’t like it when I make noise,” Leo told me one day in April.

“Wayne says I’m too loud,” he said another time.

I kept that notebook hidden in my desk drawer at the library. 217 entries in total.

I wanted to call the state authorities right away, but to be honest with you, I was terrified. I have heard too many stories about children being taken away and put into places that were even worse.

I wanted to make sure I had undeniable proof. I wanted a mountain of evidence they couldn’t ignore.

Last week, I finally took the notebook to a family services attorney named Clara. She does pro bono work for kids in our county, and a friend of mine said she was the best.

We sat in her small, crowded office on Main Street. I handed her the blue notebook.

Clara opened it and started reading the very first page. I watched her eyes moveacross the lines. She didn’t say anything for a long time.

“This is enough,” she said, closing the cover with a soft thud.

Then she looked up at me, and her face was very quiet. “Martha, his family is already in our system. They were investigated back in 2019 for his older sister, Lily.”

“What happened to Lily?” I asked, my chest feeling tight.

“The mother told the investigator the lock on the door was just for safety,” Clara said, her voice dropping. “So they closed the case. That girl ran away two years ago, and nobody has seen her since.”

I sat there in that quiet office, and I couldn’t even breathe. I thought about Leo sitting in that big green chair, watching the door, waiting for the clock to strike seven.

They took Leo out of that house the next morning. Clara called me to let me know he is staying with a nice foster family two towns over now, and the boyfriend is facing charges.

I should feel happy, I suppose. I should feel like I saved him.

But I went by the library yesterday to help the new girl transition into my old job. I walked past the back corner, and the green chair was empty.

I just keep thinking about his sister, Lily. I keep wondering if she ever found a quiet place with a green chair to sit in, or if she is still out there somewhere, running.