“I talked to Sergeant Miller at five,” I said.

“By two thirty there’ll be two patrol cars parked at the corner of the cul-de-sac.”

Emily stared down at her hands, her fingers lacing together in her lap.

“Trent told two guys from the high school track team he was going to strip your flannel shirt off you right in the street,” she whispered.

“He said he’d humiliate you in front of the entire block.”

I sat down on the bench next to her and put my stainless steel water bottle on the flagstone between my boots.