ng machine at the far end hummed, a lonely, mechanical sound. He was holding his grandmothe

ibrated in

sage from a sender labe

screen. Images loaded. High-definitio

lking into the lobby

drew in the g

d on Andrew'

issing h

el jealousy. He didn't feel sadness. He f

message

ed. Authoriza

typed

them enjoy

ght his grandmother died. They could hav

ain. This time, it wa

ds. Only three people had this numb

id. It was deep, gravelly, and commanded i

oice was devoid of emotion. "Even for a

ch means the last excuse for you living this pat

e window. He looked out at the c

ur uncles are circling like sharks. I need you back. Not

in the dark glass. He lo

f I re

und. "Then the file on your mother's inv

stic creaked. His mother. The unsolved fire. The

threaten

on," Arlie said. "E

Ritz-Carlton. He could almost see the room

. The ice in his voice matched his father's

d. "Just don't make it too me

e click

He cleaned the lenses on his shirt and put them back on. The grief was pa