“It has a precedent,” said Landen quietly. “Almost every single lone gunman who has assassinated a notable figure was never sure why he did it—and neither was anyone else. Maybe that’s what they all were—eventline crimes, for which there can never be any absolution, no matter how strong and noble the motive.”

Tears had welled up in my eyes at this stage, and both Tuesday and I rushed to give Friday a hug.

“Oh, stop,” said Gavin. “what about me getting a hug? I’m the one about to die.” He paused at the thought of it. “Boy, oh, boy,” he said to himself. “Mother and daughter, hugging me and pressing their breasts upon me, together.”

“You’re disgusting,” said Tuesday.

“Ah yes,” he admitted, “but at least I’m consistent. Can you say the same for the rest of the serial liars who deign to call themselves civilized?”

We ignored him. This had been the future Friday’s plan all along. The last-ditch effort to save the planet. The Destiny Aware letters as part of the union agreement, the faith that his young self would figure it out and have the selflessness to give up his freedom to help those he had sworn to protect. And it meant that Friday had the one thing he’d been wishing for: a function. All he had to do was kill Gavin.

So we said our good-byes, and Tuesday gave Gavin another one of those long kisses that was just a little bit too uncomfortable to behold, and I gave Gavin a hug in which he pulled me a little too close for comfort, and even Landen shook his hand and said that Gavin had his thanks.

“There’s still a teensy-weeny problem,” said Friday. “Motive.”

“Aren’t his future crimes the reason you kill him?” I said.

“Seems a bit cold-blooded,” replied Friday. “Besides, once the eventline has changed, they’ll be no motive at all, and I’m not sure the eventline can tolerate stuff like that. It has to fit together at least a little bit.”

“I know why,” said Gavin. “Because you think I’m a shit and it’s possible I might have gotten your sister pregnant.”

There was a sudden icy silence.

“Tuesday?” I said in my extra-stern voice. “You had sex with Gavin?”

“Might have,” she said in an offhand manner.

“Tell me you used protection?”

“Well, Mum,” she said, staring at her hands absently, “we were kind of caught up in the moment.”

“And it was a terrific moment,” mused Gavin, rolling his eyes. “ Hubba-hubba.”