Chapter 21 — Sit Down, Christopher

At twenty minutes past noon, tires crunched on the gravel outside, and Christopher came through the front door mid-sentence on his phone, telling someone to get over here immediately.

And then his voice stopped.

He saw Harrison first, standing by the desk.

Then he saw the uniformed officers near the hallway.

Then his eyes found me, holding Theodore securely in my arms.

And finally, slowly, as though some part of him already dreaded it, he turned his head toward the center of the room, and he saw his uncle.