“Because I’m a raisin and it’s raisin language.

“Ah, it’s a strange language.”

“Cami is a goof,” Jana said.

Kaito nodded.

“The car is stopping at the house,” Cami said.

“Izabel,” Paz’s voice came out of the speaker of Izabel’s tablet.

Izabel jumped. She was back on the kitchen floor having a second beer.

“Can you hear me?” Paz said.

“Yes. What did you do?”

“We hacked your tablet. I told you about this part of the plan, didn’t I?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I think I did.”

“Have you been listening to me this whole time?” Izabel said.

“We have.”

“Shit,” Izabel said under her breath.

“I’d recommend you stop drinking. A car is coming up to your house. Your daughter warned us.”

“Who cares about a car?”

“You’re the one who wanted me to take your daughter seriously, right?”

“You’re right. You’re right.” Izabel pulled her oxygen tank tight to her back again and got up. She looked out the window that faced the street. “What do I do?” she said.

“Whatever you feel comfortable doing. I just wanted you to know that we’re listening. We’re here.”

Izabel saw the car stop. The doorbell went off. A man got out. He was wearing a regular mask over his mouth and nose. He was about five foot ten, with brown hair, only a few inches long and very neat around his ears, like he’d come from a haircut. Izabel ran over to the door. He raised his arm, a single wave to her, like she knew him, like he only needed the slightest gesture to say hello.

She pressed the button to open the outer doors. She let him in.

“I do not want to alarm you, Cami.

“Raisin!

“Raisin, this is a message for your father.

“Okay.

“The man is not dressed how he is normally dressed. He might not be the man. But he has gone into the house. He has gone in through the doors.”

Officer Evans began to call it in.

“Why are you telling them?” Kaito said, standing up. “They must already know. Why isn’t Paz updating us?”

“Do you want to hear from her or do you want her to do her job and protect your wife?”

Jana took Kaito’s hand.

When the man was in the house, he took off his mask and Izabel could see it was Patrick, from the waiting room of the privacy pods.

“Nice suit,” he said.

“Thanks,” Izabel said. She looked more closely at him than she ever had before. He was younger than she’d realized. He was clean-shaven, but he looked like he needed to shave often to have that level of smoothness.

“Why are you here?” she said.

“What you said today—it was an invitation, wasn’t it?”

“No,” she said.