Louisa at full capacity was a person who narrated her own thoughts constantly and asked approximately eleven questions per hour and had opinions about everything from the color of her cup to the moral character of cartoon characters.

This Louisa was somewhere else.

Dr. Reeves photographed the scalp.

There were marks.

Not just from the clippers.

The kind of marks that happen when a three-year-old fights back and the person holding her fights harder.

Dr. Reeves documented them precisely.

She also spoke to Louisa directly.

“Can you tell me what happened to your hair?” she said.

Louisa looked at her bunny.

“Grandma said I was bad,” she said.

“Did she use something on your hair?”

“The loud thing,” Louisa said. “It was very loud.”

“Were you scared?”

Louisa nodded.

“Was anyone helping Grandma?”

Louisa looked at me before she answered.

I nodded.

“Aunty Heather,” she said.

Dr. Reeves wrote something.

“Did you take something that belonged to Grandma?” she said.

“No,” Louisa said. “I didn’t take anything.”

“I believe you,” Dr. Reeves said.

Louisa looked at her.

“You do?” she said.

“I do,” Dr. Reeves said.

Louisa was quiet for a moment.

Then she asked if she could have a sticker.

Dr. Reeves said she could have three.

Louisa chose carefully.

A star, a rainbow, and a dinosaur.

She pressed all three onto her bunny.

Outside the examination room, Dr. Reeves spoke to me in the hallway.

“The scalp injuries are consistent with forcible clipping,” she said. “There are abrasion marks on her wrists that suggest she was physically restrained. Her affect is significantly subdued for a child her age.”

“She talks constantly normally,” I said.

“I’d like to recommend a referral to a child psychologist,” she said. “What she experienced was traumatic. The processing won’t happen on its own.”

“Yes,” I said. “Whatever she needs.”

Dr. Reeves looked at my face.

“Your lip,” she said.

“I was also hit,” I said. “The same household. Last night.”

She looked at me with the expression of someone who has been practicing for twenty-two years and has not stopped being affected.

“Do you want me to document that as well?” she said.

“Please,” I said.

She did.

Everything was documented before we left the hospital.

Everything was time-stamped.

Everything was filed in a system that could be subpoenaed.

Naomi had the report by noon.

PART 4: Elmer

He called from Naomi’s office number, which I had not blocked.

She put him on speaker.

“Joanna,” he said. “This has gone too far.”

I said nothing.

“My mother is devastated,” he said. “You’ve made accusations that—”

“Elmer,” Naomi said. “I’m Joanna’s attorney. This call is being recorded. Do you have legal representation present?”

A pause.

“No,” he said.

“I’d recommend you obtain some before continuing this conversation,” she said. “Your wife has filed a police report for assault against your father and child endangerment against your mother and sister. There is video evidence of the incident involving your daughter.”

“Video,” he said.

“Hidden camera,” Naomi said. “In the living room. Two years old. Your wife forgot it existed. It has footage of the full incident involving Louisa, including the individuals responsible.”

Silence.

“Elmer,” Naomi continued, “your text message to your wife last night — asking her to come back and apologize — has been documented and will be relevant to the custody proceedings.”

“Custody,” he said. The word had a different quality when he said it back.

“Louisa is currently in Joanna’s care,” Naomi said. “Given the documented circumstances, I will be seeking emergency sole custody with supervised visitation pending full evaluation.”

“She’s my daughter,” he said.

“Yes,” Naomi said. “That will be part of the proceedings.”

“Joanna,” he said. “Can I talk to Joanna?”

I looked at Naomi.

She nodded.

“I’m here,” I said.

He was quiet for a moment.

“I didn’t know what they did,” he said.

“You know now,” I said. “You’ve known since last night. Your response was to tell me to come back and apologize.”

“I didn’t watch the—”

“Elmer,” I said. “Your father hit me in front of our daughter. Your mother and sister shaved our three-year-old’s head as punishment for something she didn’t do. Your sister stole the bracelet and blamed Louisa. Your mother held our daughter down in a kitchen chair.”

He said nothing.

“You told me to come back and apologize,” I said.