That much I now knew for certain.

What kind of trouble, and how deep, and whether I could get him out of it, I did not know, and the not-knowing, standing alone in that kitchen, was one of the worst feelings of my life.

I did not sleep much that night either.

I lay in the dark and listened for any sound from his room, and I resolved that tomorrow I would have the truth, one way or another.

I did not know that the truth was already on its way to me, and that it would arrive not through my questioning but through the kindness of a diner owner I had never met.