I left before he could return to me.

In the car, Brenda asked whether I was all right.

“No,” I said.

“But I’m ready to stop asking him to be.”

PART 7 — Dinner at Brenda’s House

The remaining facts arrived without the satisfaction I had imagined they would bring.

Martha passed the rental information and plate image to the people handling the inquiry.

The Route Nine agency preserved its records.