An unfamiliar car was parked behind Wymack's. Neil assumed it was Waterhouse getting an early start on his day and his new case. Neil pulled into the driveway and let Betsy park behind him. Betsy looked like she could handle the groceries, so Neil grabbed his own things and got the door. He checked the living room first, found it empty, and continued to the kitchen. Abby and Wymack were sitting at the table.

Neil gave Wymack the receipt and card. "I can pay you back for one of them."

"I look like I need your money, wise guy?" Wymack asked.

The rustling of plastic bags heralded Betsy's arrival. The room felt a thousand times smaller with all three of them in there. Neil took a couple steps back from the table to give himself breathing room and asked, "The lawyer is here?"

"They both are," Wymack said, and looked to Betsy. "You mind explaining that?"

Betsy nodded but asked, "Where are Nicky and Kevin?"

"Nicky tried to hug Andrew and almost got himself staked with a kitchen knife," Wymack said. "Kevin was smart enough to get him out of here. Last I saw either of them, they were shut in Nicky's bedroom."

"Is he hurt?"

"David was right there, thank God," Abby said. "If he'd been a second slower..."

Betsy looked to Neil. "Do you mind checking on them? I just need a minute with David and Abby."

Neil put his racquet aside and went down the hall to change. His bloodied clothes went in the empty plastic bag and he buried them at the bottom of the bathroom trash can. He looked clean when he glanced at his reflection, but he still felt dirty. Neil checked his fingernails for blood, then leaned in close to the mirror and checked his roots. The latest round of dye was still holding up.

He had his hand on the knob when he heard Abby's startled outburst. He couldn't understand her words from this distance, but he understood the incredulous anger just fine. He put an ear to the door, but she was quick to lower her voice again.

Neil turned the knob as quietly as he could and eased the door open. He held his breath, waiting for the door to creak and give him away, but nothing came. As soon as he could fit he sneaked into the hall. Nicky's room was close enough that Nicky and Kevin would have heard Abby's outrage, but Nicky's door stayed closed. There was no sound from upstairs, either. Neil took a few silent steps toward the kitchen.

It was obvious Abby was trying to keep her voice down, but her strident tone helped her words carry. "—kind of trauma with another is not going to solve anything. It'll only make things worse. I understand what you're getting at, but this isn't the way."

"This is the only ethical solution," Betsy said.

"You can't—"