“Nice to meet you,” he said, smiling. “I've heard so much about you. Sorry about the intrusion—”

She shook her head. “No, I'm grateful. It's such a lot to ask you all to do this. In fact, maybe—”

“Don't try to talk us out of it,” he said sternly. “You know Tara. Or—maybe you've forgotten. But trying to argue with her is like trying to convince a hurricane it should to go east when it wants to go west.”

“I remember,” Lily said.

“Besides, just from a professional standpoint,” he said, “we'd like to get something right in your case. Protect you now, you know? You really pulled it off. Someday I'd like to interview you, to ask you how you did it. Hid for nine whole years.”

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked quietly, remembering the headlights in her rearview mirror. “Did you follow me last night?”

“No,” Joe said. “When I got up here, your car was gone. Tara figured you'd stayed at the hospital.”

“I went to Rhode Island, to see my daughter. But I thought someone was following me for a while. . . .”

“Edward, you think?”

“God, I hope not,” she said.

“He's bad news,” Joe said. “I'll see what I can find out about where he was last night. Look—you just go about your business, do what you have to do. We'll watch your house.”

“I saw Tara and Joey,” she said. “Your family has better things to do than stand watch over me.”

“Better things to do than help a friend?” He shook his head. “I'm with Tara on that. Nothing's more important, Lily.”

The summer day was warm. The grass tickled Rose's bare feet. She played outside while Dr. Neill did his work. A swing hung from a tall branch of one of the trees in the front yard, so she walked over to it and climbed on. The breeze ruffled the leaves overhead. A bird flew into the neat green hedge. Rose's mother had been there for breakfast, and Rose felt empty now, because she was gone again.

From the swing, Rose could look up and down the street. The family next door had older children; she had watched them climb into a blue station wagon and go driving off. Seeing kids made her miss Jessica. She glanced at the house. Dr. Neill was right there in the window. She waved, and he waved back, and that made her feel better.

Swinging back and forth, she watched a car drive down the street. It passed the house and kept going. She kept swinging, and after a few minutes, the car came back, driving slowly now. When it got to the driveway, it came to a complete stop, but didn't turn in.