Teresa is completely fine.” I looked down at Teresa’s wrists, at the raw damage the cords had done, and I did not raise my voice.

“A paramedic is going to make that call,” I said.

“Not you, and not me.”

I gave the operator the address and the essentials in the flat, clear way I had learned a long time ago is the way to be useful in an emergency: what happened, who was hurt, that the scene was contained, that no weapon was in play.

Then I took the small folding tool from my keychain and, as gently as I could, cut the cords binding Teresa’s arms to the column.