It would make his move to Golden in December look like a rescue mission.

“Is that your final word on the subject?” I asked.

“Pack your bags,” Daniel said.

I walked past him across the grass.

I went inside the house through the sliding glass door and slid it shut behind me.

I didn’t look back at the patio.

I walked upstairs to the master bedroom.

The house was quiet, shut off from the murmurs in the backyard.