Ted put his arm around her, but she pulled away, not wanting to be held in her moment of grief. “Yes. Damn him,” he agreed.

The Thorps, who’d just arrived with beach chairs and Bloody Marys, waved to Ted and Allison. They settled down between the Conways and Mrs. Olden. Ted was reminded of the spectators at the Battle of Gettysburg, who came out for a pleasant afternoon of picnicking.

Nick Cox was willfully and wantonly defying Willard Park’s newly passed moratorium. You couldn’t hack away at your house on a whim! It required applications and permits, all of which Ted had shouted to the demolition crew, only to be shouldered back behind the yellow tape that rimmed the property.

He called every county department remotely associated with building construction and destruction, but all he got were voice recordings wishing him a happy new year and advising him to call back during business hours. The emergency number appeared to be disconnected. Finally, he called 911. The operator promised to send someone right over. That had been nearly an hour ago. Meanwhile, Willard Park town council members pecked about like geese, waving official-looking papers.

Suzanne and Grant sat on their couch on the front lawn alongside a heap of furniture. Suzanne sat bolt upright, like an engaged student, the opposite of Grant, who was wrapped in an afghan, possibly sleeping. Adam, on the frozen grass at their feet, was the happiest Ted had ever seen him. What better fun for a kid than to watch a bulldozer pull up at your house, prepared to, perhaps, eat it? It occurred to Ted that Suzanne and Grant might be doing it for Adam’s amusement, like the king in one of the fairy tales Jillian used to like, who was willing to do anything to make his youngest daughter laugh.

He didn’t blame Grant and Suzanne—Nick Cox had clearly been the instigator. He was obviously the force behind the felled Christmas tree as well, though no eyewitnesses had come forward. All anyone knew was that the lights on the tree had been off for about a half hour during the public hearing, presumably while the tree cutter sawed at the base in the dark.

Cox had arrived at the moratorium hearing late and left early, giving him plenty of time to cut down the tree. Or maybe one of his minions had done it while he testified. Nothing seemed to be happening at the White Elephant these days, though houses already under construction before the moratorium were grandfathered. Rumor had it that Cox had run out of money, a thought that made warm feelings rise up in Ted. He pictured Nick being evicted from his grand house, couches and televisions piled on the curb, a scene not unlike the one before him.