I never did.”

For a second she looked ready to cry.

Instead she walked away.

Two hours later she deleted the courthouse video.

The copy had already spread too widely to erase, but the deletion was the first time she had acted as though her choices had consequences.

Silas came home carrying boards for the porch repair.

I told him about the visit.

He asked whether I was all right and did not ask why I had let her in.