Something else on the page caught my eye. It was a reference to Promise Falls, but it had nothing to do with Jeremy. It was a photo of the man found responsible for the poisoned water catastrophe of a year ago. Incredibly, he’d become something of a folk hero in certain communities once it became known that his monstrous crime was intended as a lesson.

The people of Promise Falls had gained a reputation for not caring when no one came to the aid of a woman being murdered in the downtown park.

Now we had a new reputation. We were the national capital for retribution.

In fact, there’d been an incident in town three months ago involving someone named Pierce. Craig, or maybe it was Greg. Something like that. Anyway, he’d been acquitted of molesting a handicapped girl, but as much as admitted later that he’d done it. The courts could no longer touch him, so someone else gave it a try.

He became a meal for a pit bull.

But what had happened to him wasn’t my problem then, nor was it my problem now.

“I’ve seen enough,” I said. Bob shut the laptop.

“Will you help us?” Gloria asked, pointing to the closed computer. “You can see that the threats are for real. My boy’s a target. He’s not safe.” Her eyes were starting to well up.

“I can’t help you find out who’s making the threats,” I said. “I mean, they’re coming from all over the place, hundreds of them. Most of these people aren’t even worried about identifying themselves. But my understanding from what your aunt said is that’s not what you want, anyway.”

“We just want you to protect him.”

“I’m not a bodyguard. I made that clear.”

“Maybe give us some tips, then,” Grant Finch said. “Assess the security needs. Maybe, even just for a day or two, hang around.”

He gave Gloria a look that suggested she should stay put. Then he took me aside and said quietly, “It would give Gloria and Bob some comfort, some peace of mind. You’d be well compensated for your time. I came along today because I wanted to meet you, and I like what I see. You seem like a good man, and they could really use your help.”

Ms. Plimpton returned and took a seat. She looked tired. “I gave him his Coke,” she reported.

Finch broke free of me and said to everyone, “I must go. I’ve got a meeting back at the office in Albany in forty-five minutes and I think I can just make it.”

Bob shook his hand aggressively while Gloria leaned up against the kitchen counter and drank her wine. She nodded a farewell. Madeline Plimpton, with some effort, got back to her feet to say goodbye to the lawyer.

“Goodbye, Madeline,” Grant said. He took her hand in his and squeezed it as she allowed him to lean in and give her an air kiss on the side of her neck.