Lisa stood by the table of her small office in Manila, the sunlight filtered through the blinds casting slanted golden rays across the collage of photographs and notes pinned to the wall. A network of red strings stretched from one newspaper clinging to a police report, from a map of New York to a blurry photo of Alexa in a hospital gown. For the past eight months, Lisa had been obligated to find the girl she took as her own.

She stared at the phone in her hand like it was a ghost.

“She ...