Stuart kisses me on the lips the moment I return home from LeMarcus’s office.

“How’d it go?” he asks.

“LeMarcus didn’t say that if I’m convicted he’d serve the time.”

He grimaces at my gallows humor.

“We came up with a defense today. It’s a good one too.”

“Yeah? Care to share?”

“Richard Trofino. We’re going to claim that he took my cell phone when he was in my office, read the texts between Lauren and me, got insanely jealous, but realized that if he killed his wife in their apartment he’d go to jail. He decided that the better play was to frame me by sending her a text from my cell phone. Oh, and we’re reasonably sure that Lauren worked cases with Papamichael at some point, and that connects Richard to the gun. So it all fits together rather nicely.”

Stuart nods that this makes sense to him too.

“I think it’s my best defense,” I say. “I’ve considered all the other options. Believe me that I have. This one is the most likely to result in my acquittal.”

Stuart nods again, even though I appreciate that he isn’t professionally equipped to make an informed decision about trial strategy. I decide to change the subject to something much dearer to my heart.

“How’s the little boy today?”

If Stuart is put off by my abrupt segue, he doesn’t show it.

“He’s good. He’s working on a special project in his room. “Why don’t you go check on him? I’ll start dinner for you.”

When I open the door of my son’s room, I see Jacob hunched over his desk, so involved in whatever he’s doing that he’s oblivious to my presence. He’s had that desk since he was born, but I don’t remember him ever sitting at it before. Another reminder that my little boy is growing up. Whereas that reality would previously not have been the source of any distress, now I can’t help but take it to the next step and think about him going the rest of the way through life without me.

I kiss him on the top of his head. If I’ve startled him, he doesn’t show it. In fact, he doesn’t react at all.

“Whatcha working on?” I ask.

“I’m writing a book,” he says matter-of-factly.

“What’s it about?”

“A boy and a computer. The computer’s name is Jane. The boy’s name is George. And they’re best friends. But the computer . . . it’s old and it doesn’t work as good as the new computers. Oh, and George’s job is working with computers, so he really needs a good computer or people won’t give him money.”