Chapter 12 — The Broken Step

On his first Saturday in the house, I nearly tripped over a loose board on the back porch steps — a board that had been loose for two years and that I had simply learned to step over without thinking.

A few minutes later Silas appeared with a toolbox he had found in the garage, crouched down, and frowned at the step like a doctor at a troubling chart.

“How long has this been broken?” he asked.