The legal process was less straightforward than Leo had hoped. Hank Dawson hired an attorney who described him as a long-serving foster parent under pressure and Leo as a teenager with a history of running away. Hank's statement claimed Leo had injured himself doing reckless repairs, stolen money, and made up accusations after being caught. The account did not explain how a man supposedly trying to protect a child had come to an abandoned gas station carrying a bat with a deputy who was not following ordinary transfer procedures. But the explanation made enough noise that Leo began fearing he would be disbelieved again.
A legal aid attorney named Talia Reyes was appointed to represent Leo's interests in the child welfare proceedings. She was a slender woman with rectangular glasses and a habit of pausing before she answered, as if she wanted to be certain every word had a useful purpose. On their first meeting she asked Leo what he understood about the hearing scheduled for the next week. He admitted he knew almost nothing beyond the fact that Hank would be in the building. Talia drew two circles on a sheet of paper and began explaining the difference between the safety proceedings and the separate criminal investigation.
"The important thing," she said, "is that you don't have to carry all of this alone. Your account matters, but other evidence matters too. The hospital records, photographs, records from the other placement, and statements from people who saw what happened can be considered." Leo pointed at Hank's name in a document.
"What if he says I'm lying in front of everybody?" Talia looked up. "Then we keep asking which parts of each account can actually be checked."
Leo asked whether she believed him. Talia did not answer with the soothing certainty he had expected. "I believe your safety deserves a full, fair investigation," she said. "I also believe you're telling me what you experienced, and I take that seriously." He was disappointed for a moment, then understood she was offering him something sturdier than an unexamined promise. She was going to work through the evidence whether the truth arrived in a tidy shape or not.
The first hearing took place in a small county courtroom with pale walls and a seal behind the bench. Leo wore a button-down shirt Nora had helped him choose and sat beside Talia, keeping the silver Zippo in a pocket where his fingers could touch it without anyone noticing. Hank sat across the room with his attorney. He looked different in a clean suit, his hair combed neatly back and his expression arranged into something resembling injured dignity. The transformation made Leo sick with anger.
When the judge asked whether Leo wanted to speak, his first words came out too quietly. He cleared his throat and tried again, describing the laundry room, the clinic visit, and the reason he had climbed out the window. Hank's attorney asked questions about Leo's school attendance and the money he had supposedly stolen. Talia objected when the questions turned into insults and asked that the focus return to safety and the records. Leo answered what he knew and said plainly when he didn't know something.