As the sun rose above the buildings to the east, it looked as if a million diamonds were scattered across Sheep Meadow in Central Park. Even with his cycling sunglasses, Jack had to squint into the dazzling glare.

He had awakened an hour earlier despite the fact that he and Laurie had been up most of the night with a very unhappy baby. For a few minutes he had watched the play of light on the bedroom ceiling, obsessing about how they were going to manage to get through the next few months until they could possibly restart JJ’s treatment. With no real answers, he’d slipped from the warmth of his bed, dressed, and breakfasted on cold cereal. Leaving a note for Laurie that said simply, “Off to OCME—call me on my cell when you have the time,” he’d hit the street just as dawn was breaking.

The air was arctic. Despite his exhaustion, Jack felt wonderfully alive as he pedaled south. The mystery of the ossuary would either blow up in a puff of smoke or rise to another more fascinating level. And unlike his friend the archbishop, Jack hoped it would be the latter.

Jack regretted that Laurie was to have no relief. Her day was going to be the same emotional disaster as yesterday and the day before. A good day was defined as one that was less bad.

Twenty minutes later, Jack pulled into one of the OCME loading bays to leave his bike where he knew it would be safe. It wasn’t much of an inconvenience. All it meant was walking the final four blocks south to the DNA building, which turned out to be pleasant in the crisp, clear morning.

He glanced at his watch. His timing was near perfect. It was five of eight. He checked with security to make sure Shawn and Sana hadn’t arrived early. As he’d assumed, the couple had yet to be seen. When Jack knew Shawn back in college, Shawn was always late.

Jack sat on one of the lobby’s upholstered, backless benches and looked out at the scant traffic on First Avenue, thinking about the ossuary and growing increasingly excited.

At twenty after eight, Shawn climbed from a taxi that had pulled onto 26th Street. Behind him emerged Sana. The couple went to the rear of the car, joined by the driver.

As Jack stepped back into the wintry air, Shawn and the driver lifted the ossuary from the trunk. Jack dashed over and took the driver’s end.

“How nice to see you again, Dr. Stapleton,” Sana said.

Jack drew up one knee to rest the corner of the ossuary and extended a hand toward Sana. “Wonderful to see you as well,” he said. “But the name is Jack.”

“Jack it is,” Sana said happily. “And before I say anything else, I’d like to thank you for arranging this lab space for us to use.”