She looked over her shoulder at her children, who were still running around the fountain.

“Luke is in trouble,” Hannah said. “The business is gone. The house is being foreclosed next week.”

“He owes people money, Mark,” Linda added, her voice dropping to a low hiss. “Dangerous people. The bank is the least of his worries.”

I stared at my mother.

“And your solution is to flee the country?” I asked.

“We have to,” Hannah said. “Luke is already in San Jose. He went on a flight yesterday under a different name.”

“So you’re running away from his debts,” I said.

“We have to start over,” Hannah said. “But we can’t take the kids with us yet. Not until we find a place to live. It’s too dangerous.”

“And you thought you could just leave them with me?” I asked. “Without my consent?”

“You have the space,” Linda said. “You have a stable job. You are their uncle.”

“I am a commercial pilot,” I said. “I am in the air four days a week. How am I supposed to watch four children under the age of ten?”