Zachary caught my elbow gently as his parents reached the top of the stairs, and murmured close to my ear, in the calm, steadying voice he uses when I have wound myself all the way up.

“Brenda, please.

Just breathe for a second.

Whatever this is, we are going to figure it out together.”

“Figure it out?” I said, and I heard my own voice climb an entire octave.

“Zachary, there are suspicious substances sitting all over our guest room floor.

What exactly is there to figure out?”

He did not have an answer for that, or at least not one that would survive being said out loud in front of his parents, and so he just kept one steadying hand on my elbow and turned, with me, to watch Jacqueline walk into the room.