“Thank you,” she says. She’s surprised the press aren’t here, but they were at the detention center and she had to push through them. Maybe they’ve decided now that half her family is in custody to give her some space. It seems unlikely.

Mike follows them in and shuts the front door behind them. Grant leans against Iris, and she tries not to collapse. She has to be strong right now.

“Did you get something to eat?” she asks her son.

“Mom, did Julia kill this guy? Like self-defense?”

“No. Of course not,” she says. That he can even ask the question shows how their lives have spun out of control. “It’s late. Tomorrow will be a long day. Go upstairs and go to bed.”

“Are we not going to talk about this?” he asks.

This. Your father and your sister are under arrest for two murders. What words do I say to tell you everything is going to be all right? That—snap of the fingers—life will be back to normal? Where is this in the parent manual? She takes a deep breath.

“I can’t tell you much. We will be putting together a legal strategy with their lawyers tomorrow; Julia’s arrest changes everything. But we know they’re not guilty, right? You and I know that.”

Grant nods.

“And so we’re going to find a way to make the police understand they’re not guilty. That they couldn’t have done this. The police are very good at their job, but they can make mistakes, and they’ve made a mistake here.”

“But Dad…”

“I know. I know. Go to bed. Sleep if you can. If you can’t, play video games, whatever makes you feel better. But sleep if you can.”

He turns to Mike. “Thanks for staying with me.”

“You are welcome,” Mike says. He and Iris both watch Grant trudge up the stairs.

“You didn’t have to stay,” she says.

“I didn’t want him to be alone. And I suppose it sends a message to the neighborhood that I am standing by my friends. For now.”

“For now.”

“I don’t want to believe Kyle did it,” Mike says. “Danielle loved your family…”

“No, she didn’t. She loved Grant and Julia. Let’s just cast away all the illusions that we were still close.” Saying it is a relief.

“I can only say what she told me. The regard she held for your family.”

“When we started working together, I thought I had a friend for life,” Iris says. “You…you go through a lot together, adopting a child.”

“I’m sure,” Mike says. “You’ve had a long day. I’ll go. But…Grant cannot hear us right now.”

She turns to him.

“Did Kyle kill her?” Mike asks, very softly.

Iris is silent.

“Or is he protecting you?” Mike’s voice is still soft.

Iris says nothing.