“Does his company have a retreat—someplace you’ve never been?”

Renee thought a moment. “No, but a partner at his law firm has a place in the Adirondacks that he keeps offering to Steve. A fishing cabin, I think.”

“Perfect. Call Steve, now. Tell him you all need to go there right away. Make him believe you.”

Lou watched the color drain from Renee’s face. “I’m sorry, Lou. I really am.”

No casting blame. No poor us.

This was a hell of a woman.

Those thoughts segued into images of Darlene.

Was it possible? he found himself wondering. Was there any way it could happen between them? Given their situation, given his predicament at the moment, all he could do was smile inwardly. The answers to any questions about him and Darlene Mallory were more than clear: not in this lifetime.

First things first, Cap would remind him. First things first. And the first thing here was to survive William Chester and find a way to bring him down.

“Lou, don’t let anything happen to Em,” Renee said, sobbing now.

He held her tightly while he tried to quell his own fears. Then he rocked her in his arms, stroking her hair in the way that was still familiar after so many years.

“Nothing’s going to happen to her,” he said once, then again. “Nothing’s going to happen to her, or you … or Steve.” Lou closed his eyes and whispered the word hush, over and over again until her sobbing subsided.

When Renee pulled away, the anxiety in her eyes had been replaced by resolve. “Go shower off,” she said. “I’ll call Steve and then I’ll get you some clothes.”

She took a few steps toward the kitchen phone, then stopped.

“Lou, how are these people in Kings Ridge being infected by the corn? If it’s not an airborne contagion, like you originally thought, then how?”

Lou bit at his lip. “I can’t figure it out,” he said. “I’ve about torn my brain in half, and I just can’t figure it out.”

Renee returned to the living room after calling her husband. “He’s on his way,” she said. “He didn’t doubt the urgency for a second. He trusts you, Lou. That says a lot.”

“I’ll help you pack, as soon as I wash off,” he said.

Renee paused. “Who are the people you know of who have been affected?” she asked.

Lou listed off the names.

“Now, what do they have in common?”

“Nothing except the obvious, as far as I can tell,” he said.

“No … if the symptoms aren’t the result of something airborne, then there’s got be a physical factor linking them,” she said. “You’re just too close to it, that’s all.”

“Maybe. Maybe so. Listen, Renee, you need to pack. Chester has enough money to get at you unless we make it nearly impossible.”