Around the time Cora Babineau is opening her front door for the last time, Hodges is sitting down in the living room of the Scott family’s home on Allgood Place, just one block over from Teaberry Lane, where the Robinsons live. He swallowed a couple of painkillers before getting out of the car, and isn’t feeling bad, all things considered.

Dinah Scott is on the sofa, flanked by her parents. She looks quite a bit older than fifteen tonight, because she’s recently back from a rehearsal at North Side High School, where the Drama Club will soon be putting on The Fantasticks. She has the role of Luisa, Angie Scott has told Hodges, a real plum. (This causes Dinah to roll her eyes.) Hodges is across from them in a La-Z-Boy very much like the one in his own living room. From the deep divot in the seat, he deduces it is Carl Scott’s normal evening roost.

On the coffee table in front of the sofa is a bright green Zappit. Dinah brought it down from her room right away, which allows Hodges to further deduce that it wasn’t buried under sports gear in her closet, or left under the bed with the dust bunnies. It wasn’t sitting forgotten in her locker at school. No, it was where she could lay her hands on it at once. Which means she’s been using it, old-school or not.

“I’m here at the request of Barbara Robinson,” he tells them. “She was struck by a truck today—”

“Omigod,” Dinah says, a hand going to her mouth.

“She’s okay,” Hodges says. “Broken leg is all. They’re keeping her overnight for observation, but she’ll be home tomorrow and probably back in school next week. You can sign her cast, if kids still do that.”

Angie puts an arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “What does that have to do with Dinah’s game?”

“Well, Barbara had one, and it gave her a shock.” Based on what Holly told Hodges while he was driving over here, that’s no lie. “She was crossing a street at the time, lost her bearings for a minute, and bammo. A boy pushed her clear, or it would have been much worse.”

“Jesus,” Carl says.

Hodges leans forward, looking at Dinah. “I don’t know how many of these gadgets are defective, but it’s clear from what happened to Barb, and a couple of other incidents we know of, that at least some of them are.”

“Let this be a lesson to you,” Carl says to his daughter. “The next time someone tells you a thing’s free, be on your guard.”

This prompts another eye-roll of the perfect teenage variety.