“Yes?”

“There’s a note.”

“What does it say?”

Her voice grew harder. “Be good. Food is in the fridge.” I sat down on the hotel carpet. The sentence sounded like my mother had left instructions for watering a plant.

Chapter 7 — The House That Was Never Theirs

Our earliest available flight departed shortly after sunrise. From the airport we rented a car and drove south in near-total silence. Andrew kept both hands on the wheel.

Every few minutes his grip tightened, then he deliberately forced his fingers to loosen.