“Yeppers. I know the difference.”
“It’s very important, so important that you have to swear to God to tell the truth.”
“No problem,” said the eight-year-old. “I swear to God.”
“What’s your full name, dear?” Nussbaum asked.
“Lily Baines Herman.”
“And how old are you, Lily?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you know what month this is?”
“Is it summer yet?”
“Not yet, but soon,” said the judge. “You’ve been missing for a long time. Everyone has been worried. Where have you been?”
“In a room. In a house,” she said. “I had a TV and a little tiny tabby kitten. Pokey.”
Lily’s gaze wandered again as she took in the rows of law books, the many-paned windows, the heavy furnishings, and the landscape paintings. Yuki would have given a million bucks to know what she was thinking.
“Who else lived in this house?”
“Marcia and Alan.”
“Do you know their last names?”
“Nopey-nope-nope.”
“Are you related to them? Are they family members?”
“No way!”
“So help me out, Lily. Tell me all about these people and how you came to be living with them. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Yuki, Kinsela, and Judge Nussbaum waited for the little girl to elaborate on her one-word answer. Finally, she stopped swinging her legs and began to speak as if she were reading or playing a part.
“They had masks. Different ones on different days. Like devil masks. Like pig masks. They told me their names but I never saw their faces. I had my own room and a bathroom and I had a computer for games. I had three meals a day and a snack before bedtime.”
“Could you use a phone?”
“Nopey-nope-nope.”
“You were kidnapped,” the judge said.
Lily shrugged. “They didn’t hurt me.” Then, “I miss Pokey.”
“Did your father have anything to do with this, Lily? For instance, was he keeping you safe? Is that what he told you?”
“My daddy didn’t know where I was or he would have come to get me. He loves me. He would have given Marcia and Alan a beating.”
“Did Marcia and Alan take you home this morning, Lily?”
“When can I see my mommy?”