“No you're not!” said Mary-Berry. Sampson had gotten her to smile already. A good sign.

“That's right, we're really policemen,” I told the kids. “We're here to make sure everybody's okay now. I mean, phew, what-a-morning!”

Ms. Kim smiled at me from across the floor. She knew I was trying to give the kids some reassurance. The police were there and it was safe again. No one could hurt them now; order had been restored.

“Are you a good policeman?” Jonathan asked me. He seemed very serious and earnest for such a small boy. “Yes, I am. So is my partner here, Detective Sampson. ”

“ You're big. You're awfully big,” said Luisa. “Big, big, BIG as my house!”

“So we can protect everybody better,” Sampson said to the little girl. Sampson had caught on fast.

“Do you have any kids?” Brigid asked me. She'd carefully observed us both before speaking. She was wonderfully bright-eyed, and I liked her already. “I have two children,” I said. “A boy and a girl.” “And what are their names?” asked Brigid. She had neatly reversed our roles.

“Janelle and Damon,” I told her. “Janelle's four and Damon's six.”

“What's your wife's name?” asked Stuart.

“I don't have a wife,” I told him.

“My, my, my, Mr. Rogers,” Sampson said under his breath.

'Are you divorced?“ Mary-Berry asked me. ”Is that the deal?"

Ms. Kim laughed out loud. “What a question to ask our nice friend, Mary-it ”Are they going to hurt Maggie Rose and Michael Goldberg?" Jonathan the Serious wanted to know. It was a good, fair question. It deserved an answer.

“I hope they won't, Jonathan. I will tell you one thing. Nobody will hurt you. Detective Sampson an( are here just to make sure.”