Hana made the call, expecting to leave a message for the busy judge. But when Liza answered after the second ring, she faltered and shot Leslie a look of alarm.
“What do you want, Hana?” Liza demanded. Her tone softened. “Unless it’s one of the children. Who is this? Is it Wiremu?”
“No, it’s me,” Hana confessed. She exhaled and then replaced it with a deep breath. “Is Wiri using my phone to call you?” She glanced across at the tousle-haired boy and sighed. “No matter. I thought I’d need to leave a message for you. It took me by surprise when you answered.”
“Well! What do you want?” Impatience leached through every syllable.
“It’s about Caroline,” Hana began. She rushed on ahead to prevent Liza ending the call. “I need some help and some history. And then some advice.”
Leslie raised bo
