“He knew how to set a window pocket,” Martha said.

Daisy ran back into the hallway, her red socks squeaking on the polyurethane floor as she checked the hall closet doors.

Nathaniel checked his loose watch, then picked up his empty wooden crate from the porch rail.

“The utility company turned the water heater back on at eight this morning,” he said.

“The burner valve is set to medium.”

“I checked the insulation on the cellar pipes before you pulled up,” Martha said.

“Everything’s dry.”