Rebecca Frost

Truman keeps checking in on me using just his eyes. Dad’s in my space, sitting right here and probably not realizing he’s just demanding that I give in. So Truman’s not on my other side, reaching for my hand or my shoulder or my knee, but he’s letting me know he’s willing to step in if I need him to. Yeah, I haven’t had nearly enough of him, either.

Dad’s used to people listening to him. Mom would point that out to my brothers all the time: he’s used to people showing him respect, but in Dad-speak, showing respect means obeying without questioning. You can’t respectfully disagree with Dad. He won’t let you.

The guys got off to college before Mom died. With Jim it was just barely, but he made it. She insisted, and intervened when she had to, but she never actually put herself between Dad and Jim, or Dad and Ken, when they were arguing. She’d stand back, and wait for things to calm down, and then work on one of them later. It wasn’t always Dad. Sometimes she had to sit Ken or Jim down and give them the Really? eyebrow and work on that side of things. And maybe I’m thinking about all this so I don’t have to listen to Dad’s carefully reasoned list of why I should leave here right now, despite the implied loss of income and the sudden change of plans.

“Lyssie.” He reaches across the table to cover my hands with his own. “We’ll figure it out.”

Mom chuckles in my mind, because it hasn’t occurred to Dad that maybe I’ve already figured it out.

The lodge door opens and we all turn to it like sunflowers at dawn, but it’s not a police officer. Edgar blinks at the attention, then grins, but it’s a little self-conscious because hey, it’s not just us. “Hi.”

“Hey, Edgar. This is my dad.” Who’s staring. “Dad, this is Edgar.” I couldn’t have said Dad knows who Edgar is, but he has to blink a couple times.

“Edgar.” Dad clears his throat and stands up to shake hands. “Aaron.”

Edgar nods. “Your daughter’s awesome, by the way. Not that I think you don’t know it.”

“Yeah, she is,” he agrees automatically, but Dad’s still starstruck. He doesn’t have a clue what he’s saying.

Truman clears his throat, but he doesn’t have to bring a hand up to hide a smile or anything. “What’s up, Edgar?”

He professionally ignores Dad’s glassy stare. “Have you heard anything? At all?”

Truman shakes his head. “They haven’t told us. Henry’s gone, though. We saw him leave.”

Edgar snorts and mutters something that might not be in English and probably isn’t a blessing on Henry’s health and home. “I heard Agatha’s back? And she’s okay?” His eyes slide past Dad and land on me.

The last word was more of a question than the rest of the sentence, so I shrug and nod. “Percy kicked her out of the van and told her where to walk. I think he was just buying time. She’s in her cabin now. Dad?”

“Yeah, I should, uh.” Dad clears his throat, and either he figures that maybe Edgar wants some privacy, or he remembers that Dina exists. “I should go and … nice meeting you, Edgar.”

They shake again, and Edgar waits until the door closes to sigh and smile a little ruefully. “Sometimes I don’t understand my own demographic.”

“You’re hot,” Truman tells him with a shrug. “Sorry, not sorry. Did you want Alyssa to get you some caffeine?”

“I mean, I’ll take it if you’re offering,” Edgar tells me, coming to a chair across the table from me but not the one Dad just vacated.

“Today’s a good day for caffeine.” I get up and go over to the machine, even though it’s plenty loud and we’ll have to shout our conversation. “Do you need to get out and make some calls and stuff?” Jonathan’s the one with the email passwords, but there’s always the library.

Edgar waves that away with both hands. “If someone really needs me, they’ll drive up like your dad did. Otherwise, I’m out of reach until August, and I’m sticking by that. Even if it’s not staying here.”

Truman grimaces as he sits down, too. “If for any reason Jonathan and Lydia are unable to continue at Loon Lake, I’m the one it falls to. I mean, I hope this isn’t a forever thing at this juncture, but legally I’m in charge. The point of all that being I’m here to fulfill your contract for the rest of the month, even if there might be a decline in home cooking.”

He doesn’t look at me as he says this, even though it wouldn’t take much to turn and meet my eyes. I mean, it’s not like I can blame him. We’ve barely touched on October of this year, much less the rest of our lives.

We’ll need a cook. Someone who loves spreadsheets and planning as much as Lydia does. But not for years and years, because she’s fine and she’s coming back and next year Jonathan will just call up Truman and make sure we’re both returning.

I concentrate on the latte art. It’s a special one I’ve been perfecting, just for Edgar, and it doesn’t turn out quite right, but that’s part of the charm. When I set the mug down in front of him, he looks, pauses, and dissolves into laughter. “If I Instagrammed that, it would blow up.”

Truman clucks his tongue. “Can’t Instagram anything from Loon Lake.”

“Damn it. Because that’s good. I’m touched. Seriously.” His smile is warm and crinkles the corners of his eyes.

“She doesn’t do custom latte art for just anyone.” Truman winks at me. “I might be jealous.”

“Okay, I was going to ask if you want something, too, but now it feels weird,” I inform him.

“I’m fine, thanks.” He grins at me to say that maybe he’s actually more than fine.

I could use a latte, mostly for the comfort aspect of something normal, so I return to the machine and get it ready for another round.

“Alyssa, are you staying?” Edgar turns to slightly look at me, but not fully head-on, like I’m a wild animal who might startle.

“Yes.” I say it before I can soften it to something like That’s the plan, because softening it would be the wrong move. Dad’s intent on me leaving, even before we figure out what’s really going on, and he’s probably going to take Dina away ASAP, but I don’t want to go. This is nothing I went to school for, and nothing I ever really thought I’d be doing, but I relax here in ways I haven’t anywhere else. Even dealing with cranky residents is something I know I can handle.

“Good.” Edgar sips his latte. “I might have to come back. Probably not next summer, since I’ve got too much going on, but I like it here.” He grins again. “It’s nothing like I thought I’d like, but I like it here.” Truman winks at me again, because he knows I feel the same way, but whatever he’s going to say doesn’t come out because the lodge door opens and it’s not a policeman. It’s Jonathan and Lydia, and I abandon my latte and Truman knocks over a chair in our rush to go hug them.

---

Cold Comfort: Saturday, July 13, 2024 – Henry (3), coming August 25

Dear Diary,

It wasn’t like a movie reunion. I don’t know of any action movie heroine who has snot running out of her nose because she’s crying too hard to even kiss him. I think Jane stepped out, but honestly, I can’t entirely remember. I wasn’t really paying attention to anyone else. As soon as I saw Aaron coming, they didn’t matter. I couldn’t have played gracious hostess even if I’d wanted to. Even if it was my cabin.

I’m in my cabin now. I haven’t started packing because I’m not entirely sure I want to pack right away. Alyssa’s not leaving. I know that much even if Aaron’s not convinced yet.

Diary, he’s not ready to let her go. It hasn’t been like this before. He’s never stood next to her with a boyfriend on the other side and realized she’s closer to the boyfriend than she is to him. Not even physically. If Aaron and Truman are around, even if Aaron’s right at her side and Truman’s all the way across the room, it’s so obvious that I don’t know why I didn’t see it before, except it’s also just … there. They don’t make a big deal about it, to the point where I’m not sure Alyssa’s entirely aware of it yet, but damn. If I believed in red strings of fate, there’d be one connecting the two of them.

Aaron’s up at the lodge talking to them now. I don’t think he wants to be with both of them in Alyssa’s cabin, on her home turf, where Truman’s obviously been before. After he and I finished our part of the reunion, he wanted to start working on her.

I love the man. I do. And I understand a lot of what he wants, but it doesn’t always get across the way he means it to. I figure he’ll come back here, where at least it’s just the two of us and we’re not kicking Jane out of her own place, and he’ll probably want to rant a bit about how Alyssa’s grown up and independent and defying him for the first important time in her life, and then we can get down to the other part of our reunion.

Diary, my money’s on us staying here tonight. Possibly more than one night, depending on how things actually unfold (if they continue to unfold) and if we find out Percy and the others have been found.

Truman’s staying because he’s basically the one in charge now that Jonathan and Lydia aren’t here, and he has to make sure Loon Lake doesn’t completely crumble without them. Aaron gets that, I think, but he doesn’t get why Alyssa feels such a connection to this place. She’s only been here two months, and he’s been her dad her whole life.

Maybe he doesn’t remember how fast we fell. How my dad tried to put his foot down because I’m basically the same age as Aaron’s kids. Or maybe he doesn’t want to admit how some of that speed was me just defying my dad. It wasn’t all me defying my dad, thank God, but that was part of it.

She’s never argued with him. The boys, sure, they had their clashes and they’ve basically completely broken free, but Alyssa’s the one who just shows up when you need her. She’s quiet, and dependable, and she puts you first because nobody’s ever told her that she deserves some of that, too. Except for Truman. So now we’ve got an unstoppable force, immovable object situation, and I’m sitting here waiting to see how long Aaron will be before he comes back.

---

Cold Comfort: Saturday, July 13, 2024 – Alyssa (2)

It wasn’t hard not to speak to anyone as he was driven up to the retreat, scrutinized by two cops, and followed by one to the Longfellow cabin. Henry nearly botched which thumb he had to use for the back door, but he caught himself, opened it, and let both his lawyer and the officer follow him inside. First he went to the safe to pull out his wallet and show his ID, and then, still fully supervised, he started packing.

The officer was there to make sure he didn’t take anything belonging to the Meyers, and his lawyer was there to make sure he wasn’t stopped from taking all of his own belongings. Henry didn’t know how they were going to tell, exactly, and nobody was making a list, but she told him not to worry about that. He just needed to gather his stuff—all of his stuff, because this was his one chance—and make good on his retreat. This probably meant heading all the way home, all things considered, and Henry wasn’t sure if he could adjust his plane ticket or if he’d have to buy a new one. At least his address was on his ID, so they’d know where he was going, and then he’d finally have his cell phone back.

He’d snuck the recording necklace in, but he’d obeyed the rules and left his cell phone at home. Even if he’d brought it, though, he didn’t think he wanted to stay somewhere nearby, paying for a hotel when he wouldn’t get any money back from the retreat. When he’d be facing a lawsuit from the retreat, if not also the individuals who stayed there.

It didn’t take long to pack. Henry did a final sweep of the various rooms, checking drawers, and then nodded at his lawyer. She took one of the big suitcases, which still gave him a lot to juggle, but whatever. He loaded himself up as his own pack mule and they left the officer there, maybe so he could try to figure out how to prop a door or something so they could get back in if they needed to. If they didn’t have Jonathan’s master thumb print, they’d get locked out.

It was easy to hold his silence until they approached the lodge just as that door opened and three people came out: Truman, Alyssa … and Aaron Gladieux. Henry stopped and stared, even though of course he’d seen Gladieux before. Behind a fence or a car window, sure, but this wasn’t really much different. Except now he could see them next to each other, Aaron and Alyssa, and look past the differences—height, amount of hair, builds—to see the commonalities. The family resemblance. It wasn’t so obvious he felt the need to kick himself for missing it before, but it was there.

Aaron looked down at his daughter, who must have taken after Eileen as far as height, and Henry picked his name off her lips. His July name. Even though yesterday he’d given his real name and this morning he’d shown the ID that confirmed it.

His lawyer was ahead of him, but she paused, sighed, and left his one bag there to come back. Henry thought she’d yell at him, but instead she pulled something out of her pocket and offered each of the three people by the lodge her card.

Of course. He wasn’t allowed to talk to them, and part of her job was keeping them from talking to him. Maybe Aaron Gladieux didn’t entirely know who “Henry” was or what he meant to his family, but he’d find out soon enough. Just the temperature of Alyssa’s stare, my God. There was no customer service mask that could take away the chill. Henry realized his lawyer was looking at him, probably to avoid using any version of his name, and he ducked his head and started walking again, hit on all sides by his luggage because he couldn’t seem to find his stride. It was a retreat, a full retreat, and there was no point in hiding it now. This was time for him to get out, to find the earliest flight with an open seat and head on home with his tail between his legs where he could at least spend more time choosing a permanent lawyer.

---

Cold Comfort: Saturday, July 13, 2024 – Agatha (2)

Truman didn’t ask if he could stay last night. He told me he’d sleep on the couch if I wanted, but he simply was staying. I didn’t make him sleep on the couch.

It was clear Agatha—it’s hard to know how I’m supposed to think about her right now—suspected she’d interrupted something between us, something more than just sitting there, not saying anything, with Truman’s arms around me as I burrowed into his chest, but that’s not the case. She really didn’t want to stay, and Jane said she could sleep over in Austen, so that’s all right, I guess. And Dad’s coming. Agatha insisted on handing me my cell phone so I could see what he’d texted, but then she also did a disappearing act.

Truman didn’t ask about it, or even mention it. I guess he already knows I haven’t dated much, and definitely not in front of her.

He offered to go up to the lodge and get us some dinner, though. Cook something in Lydia’s kitchen if that’s what I wanted, but I balked at that. It’s like her sacred space. So he picked up some of the frozen meals, which I think he did mostly so I could read Dad’s message without him peering over my shoulder, because I haven’t said anything about him to Dad and I don’t know if Agatha has, but now it’s morning, I’m keeping an eye on the time, and they’re going to meet soon enough.

Truman’s still asleep, and he never sleeps this late. I’m guessing he didn’t get much rest last night, all things considered. I kept waking up, and it’s my cabin and I thought I knew all the creaks and groans, but every single noise was clearly Percy trying to break in, even though it doesn’t make sense for him to come back. Basically, they let us stay here because whatever they found in the Shelley cabin, which of course they didn’t let us in on, supported the idea that they were fleeing.

Fleeing, and Emily, Lydia, and Jonathan are part of their master plan. They didn’t need Agatha, so Jonathan dropped her off, which is a weird sort of solicitous gesture, but they didn’t let Emily out. She’s involved somehow. The man calling on Tuesday wanted to talk to Emily.

Truman takes a deeper breath, rolls over, and snuggles up to me. “You’re thinking really loud again.”

“It’s almost ten,” I argue. “You should’ve been up for hours.”

“Kicking me out of bed, are you?” he groans, which normally would work on me, but …

“My dad’s going to be here soon.” I, for one, don’t think him catching me in bed, or answering the door, clearly hastily dressed and with my hair still a mess, is the best way to negotiate what’s coming.

Truman sighs, kisses my shoulder, and then props his head up on his hand so he can look at me. “Is he going to order you to leave?”

“I am legally an adult and have been for some time.” Look at me, neatly dodging the question.

He shakes his head. “That doesn’t mean he won’t order you.”

“If they haven’t found Jonathan and Lydia yet …” That, at least, would be an actual argument on Dad’s end.

The thought makes Truman hold up a finger and scoot out of bed, padding barefoot into the main room. When he comes back, he picks up his jeans and starts to put them on. “Phone’s still out. I’ll ask on the way back to my cabin. Shower and meet at the lodge?”

“Yeah, okay.” At least it’s a plan.

“Hey.” He leans over the bed to kiss me softly before grabbing his T-shirt. “This isn’t exactly when I was planning on mentioning it, but there’s always my place. If you don’t want to go back home. Option B.”

My smile feels lopsided. “Your tiny house.”

Truman shrugs. “Two can live as cheap as one? I don’t know, Lyssa. I just haven’t had nearly enough of you yet.”

I catch his hand and pull him back down for a better kiss. “I’ll meet you at the lodge.”

He touches my cheek, not quite a hesitation, before he nods and goes to get his shoes.

I wait for the click of the door before getting up and heading to the bathroom, totally not thinking of Psycho, even though Percy had a gun instead of a knife. He could’ve had both. Just because neither Jane nor Henry told us he had one doesn’t mean he didn’t.

I take my time washing my hair and scrubbing the rest of me, like removing a layer of skin means being a new person. Erasing yesterday. I don’t really wear makeup even when I’m not in the middle of the woods, so I don’t have to worry about that, and I blow-dry my hair before getting dressed. It’s cloudy out there, and I could use the comfort, so jeans and a hoodie it is. I stick my phone in the pocket even though it’s basically useless and totally pause and do a slow scan of what I can see out the front windows before I open the door and head up to the lodge.

There’s a police officer inside, filling up one to-go cup and one thermos, and he nods a greeting. It’s strange having someone here, but I can’t really blame them for wanting coffee, so I nod back. The food in the fridge cases is fine, and there wasn’t anything left out on the table or the counters that couldn’t be kept at room temperature, so the dining room isn’t weird, exactly, even if it also is. “Is there any news?” I ask, because hey, I don’t have to wait for Truman.

The man shakes his head. “We’ll let you know.”

I shiver but return his departure nod, because they have the description of the van and the license plate. It doesn’t say Loon Lake on the side or anything but, with all they know, and how soon they must’ve learned of what happened …

Truman ends up holding the door so the officer can exit, then comes in and frowns, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. “Nothing.”

“Nothing,” I agree, turning to the espresso machine and getting it going. Edgar must’ve had to fend for himself this morning. “Well, nothing they’re telling us.”

He tilts his head and comes in to pick up and inspect an apple. “Percy didn’t kill any of the others.”

Not the ones he let go, no.

Sighing, he puts the apple back and turns to face me, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms. “This doesn’t feel good.”

“No.” I pull out my phone and give it a little shake. “I wish this worked.”

“Yeah?” He smiles at me, almost teasing. “What would you Google?”

“Hell if I know.” I nod at the machine. “You want anything?”

“A red eye.” He hesitates, but apparently I’m too locked in for him break into my personal space bubble.

I nod and focus on the steps involved with pulling perfect shots of espresso.

There’s nothing we can do. We’ve done all we can: reported it. Told them all we know. Kept out of the way of their investigation. Stayed here, where they can keep an eye on us and make sure we’re not communicating with the Shelleys as inside men. That almost triggers something, but as soon as I try to look at the thought, it slips from my grasp. Truman comes to join me and kisses my temple when I pass him his mug, but I don’t immediately start making my own drink because I hear voices outside, one of them in a familiar cadence, so I turn and wipe my hands on my jeans and all but fall into my dad’s arms.

---

Cold Comfort: Saturday, July 13, 2024 – Henry (2)

Dear Diary,

There’s a lot to catch up on. I didn’t have any energy to write yesterday, after everything, but now we’re just waiting again.

I don’t want to talk much about yesterday. Or I guess I already talked about it, and it went on the record, and it was hours before they let me out because they didn’t actually care about yesterday. Diary, they wanted to grill me about early June, because Annabeth Deschain’s been murdered, and last night was the perfect time for them to come after me.

Well. “Perfect.” I snapped at them and didn’t ask for a lawyer and told them I was home, moping, for most of June, thank you very much, because my only child was dead, and so sorry, pals, but there aren’t really witnesses to that. Maria still comes in to clean, but once a week now, so she wouldn’t be super helpful. Although she’d probably say “Yeah, sure, Dina was always on the couch in the same spot, so maybe she never even moved.”

That’s pretty much the truth. This whole retreat thing was supposed to break that momentum.

Diary, at least I didn’t crash out until they let me go, and Jane was still waiting, and she handed me Alyssa’s phone. I don’t know if she knew by then why it made sense, or if she just handed it over, but she also had Alyssa’s keys, and we were told they’d be watching the retreat and all vehicles in and out, and we’d already paid for those beds.

I called Aaron as soon as I had signal. Jane drove. That was good because I started crying. Part of it was the way he answered (“Lyssa, my God, what’s going on?”) and part of it was how I had to tell him that it wasn’t Lyssa, it’s me, and I had no idea how she was. And he probably wouldn’t find out for a while, because we were heading back into the dead zone, and I’d heard something about the phones.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’m on the first flight in tomorrow. I’ll drive up and see you both.” So right now that’s part of what I’m waiting for: the plane. Aaron’s rental car. The police stopping him and checking his ID and letting him through.

I’m in Jane’s cabin. I saw Alyssa last night. I handed her phone back, which didn’t have signal, but he texted before we left the service area so she could still read a note from her dad.

She flung her arms around me and hugged me tightly and cried a little into my shoulder, which is weird, maybe, because we’re not really demonstrative, but we were stressed. And at least she was glad to see me, I suppose. But I wasn’t going to stay in her cabin, even though I didn’t want to be alone, because I figured Truman was staying, and I didn’t want to ruin that. If it’s not ruined already.

Stop, Agatha. Truman’s been through his own hell and he’s not going to let something like this send him running. But what do I know? He’s always Truman, the employee, around me. Just because he was in her cabin, with his tea …

Jane suggested I stay with her, because at least it’s on the side of the retreat away from the Shelleys’ cabin. If they try to come back, it’s more likely they’ll go that way. That’s also maybe why Truman was in Alyssa’s cabin instead of her being in his, but it doesn’t really matter. I accepted. We ate some of her cereal for dinner and then collapsed into bed. Now it’s morning, she’s still asleep, I’ve made coffee and had some more cereal, and I’m waiting for someone to come around knocking.

They think I murdered Annabeth. I suppose it makes sense. Annabeth killed my baby and got off because she did the wide eyes thing and played a child. She’s untouchable by the law even though she ripped my family apart, and those journal entries? Of course I can see why a younger woman would be attracted to Aaron. I certainly was at her age. But I didn’t just write in a journal about it and hide the fact that I was mooning around over him. We actually talked, and it wasn’t just about business. We did drinks. Dinner. Dates.

Annabeth seemed professional. That’s one of the reasons we picked her. And Dani Jay liked her. She’d go to her, and fuss when it was time to come back to me the same way she’d fuss when she had to leave me and go to Annabeth. Dani Jay trusted her. We all did. When those journal entries came out …

Aaron was completely poleaxed. He had no idea. It’s like gaslighting, I guess: all these entries about the secret looks he gave her or these code phrases and he had no idea, but they all added up. They made Annabeth decide to kill Dani Jay.

Why didn’t she kill me instead? That’s my question. I thought she loved Dani Jay, the same way the rest of us did. She should’ve been just as devastated and heartbroken as the family if it was just an accident. A terrible accident. The kind that happens and breaks families all the time.

She should’ve been plagued with doubts the same way we were, but she was so clear: I told Dina that Dani Jay was playing in the yard. Maybe she shouldn’t have, because that means she left Dani Jay alone in the yard, but nobody ever came after her for that. Dani Jay was apparently old enough to be left in the yard alone, as long as her stupid parents didn’t leave the gate open or bump the cover off the hot tub.

And it wasn’t actually all that usual. Most days if Annabeth didn’t bring Dani Jay in to me, it’s because she was asleep somewhere, like her bed or the couch. Not out there playing. I shouldn’t have been able to not realize the time, because there should’ve been 28 pounds of toddler flinging herself into my lap. But that’s what Annabeth kept saying: I told Dina, and she didn’t look up, but she said okay.

It doesn’t matter that I know I looked up at 3, which was when Annabeth’s day ended. That I know I looked up, and then got up and went looking for them. That the delay wasn’t mine. We didn’t make her clock in and clock out or anything, but that was the contract: 8 until 3 on weekdays, and then again 7 until 11 on Thursdays. We wanted a date night, but we didn’t want to take Annabeth’s Friday nights away from her. That’s how conscientious we were about her time.

Dani Jay was Annabeth’s responsibility until 3 p.m. That’s when I started looking for them. Whatever happened, it happened when Annabeth should’ve been watching her. But, by the time the alarm was raised (damn Annabeth for the delay) it didn’t matter. She sloughed it all off and then kept daydreaming about Aaron and damned if she didn’t write down some spicy daydreams that still haunt me.

So honestly, if I had killed her, could anyone blame me? But she disappeared. I guess until they came to the decision not to go to trial, some lawyer somewhere had to know where she was, but she’s gone. I even tried. I asked our lawyer, and he looked into it and said nope, she’s gone off the grid. Ages ago, diary. No way to find her. God, I hope he gets here soon. I hope there’s news. When all you’re doing is waiting, you keep having to push away the worst.

---

Cold Comfort: Saturday, July 13, 2024 – Alyssa (1)

Henry suspected his lawyer was a fraud, or at least hadn’t passed the bar, but what could you expect up here? There were too many pine trees and not enough people to support a really good lawyer, so he had to make do with the one who showed up, and he didn’t even have a cell phone to Google her name and figure out if he was just being put on.

She seemed fine with Henry not surrendering any of his private papers, which was good, but she also put her foot down about Henry going back to Loon Lake for the night, even with the police watching the only road in. It wasn’t a question of danger from the missing residents, she informed him, but the ones who would be spending the night in their usual beds. “Your cabin’s sealed,” she told Henry, in case he forgot. “They can’t get in, and the police would have to break in, for which they have no warrant and no probable cause. You’ll get a room for the night, and stay there, and talk to no one, and when we get the chance, I’ll take you up so you can clear out your belongings. And just your belongings.” She’d repeated that talk to no one thing multiple times, like he was going to immediately start sharing the story—his story—with someone who would then just go and publish it first.

He didn’t have a car, and he didn’t have his wallet, so she found him a hotel room and paid for it with the understanding that really he was the one paying for it, and he ordered room service on the tab, and had a television he could watch, but other than that, it was just him, in the clothes he’d thrown on, with nothing to do. There wasn’t even a pad of paper and a pen with the hotel’s logo on it. It was simply a room, and honestly, he supposed he should be grateful there was an attached restaurant so he could get some food.

Henry tried finding local news, but there didn’t seem to be any. He could flip through maybe eight stations, and one of them was national news, but he didn’t see anything about Loon Lake. His lawyer probably liked that. Maybe she’d picked the place because she knew he’d be stuck with the Weather Channel, PBS, and Fox News.

Henry was bored out of his ever-loving mind. He didn’t have his notes, he didn’t have his knitting, and he didn’t have any way of pitching the story he was in the middle of living, or even starting to write that story. He was just stuck in this one-star motel in freaking Eagle Harbor, Michigan, which basically wasn’t on any map, simply waiting. He didn’t even know if today was the day he’d get to go north and get his stuff, including all those notes his lawyer had at least helped him keep, or …

Or. What was the or? He either got this story, this new and weird story, or he had nothing. He didn’t have Annabeth Deschain, and he certainly didn’t have Emily’s real name. He didn’t even have Alyssa’s phone anymore. Jane took that, and after he’d asked for a lawyer, he hadn’t seen Jane. He didn’t know what was going on at all, and that was annoying.

Plus Percy pointed a gun at him yesterday. When he showered with the hotel soap, it was partly to get the sticky spots off his arms and ankles. And his toe. He should’ve thought the whole shower thing through because water falling onto his ripped-off nail bed was painful, and he had to call the front desk and ask if they had Band-Aids or something. The police took the duct tape off him just fine, but he hadn’t mentioned the toe, so that wasn’t documented. Nobody cared. So here he sat, having drunk the serving of coffee provided in the room, not sure if there was breakfast anywhere around here, or if his underwear was dry where it hung on the rack in the bathroom, or if he’d have to somehow get through today and another night completely cut off and unable to make any decisions for himself. Really, it wasn’t fair.

---

Cold Comfort: Saturday, July 13, 2024 – Agatha (1)

from Dina Lauritsen’s statement to the police, Friday, July 12

I was in the lodge, and I think I was alone. You can’t always tell if Lydia’s in the kitchen, but things were really quiet. Nobody was at the desk. I was sitting there with a book, sort of waiting for human contact, I guess, and things felt weird. I don’t really have a reason for it, but they did, so I was jumpy. I couldn’t eat. I just sat there in the dining room, keeping an ear out for the door and just … waiting.

I heard voices. Percy’s voice. He said something like “You cut all this off and she won’t die.” Then Jonathan said something, some protest, about Lydia. I couldn’t move. He was begging for her life, asking them not to hurt her, and Percy just growled at him to do whatever he was supposed to do.

I should’ve moved. I probably could’ve gotten up and at least put myself out of the line of sight from the desk without being seen—he was focused on Jonathan and whatever they were doing—but I didn’t. I froze. And I saw the gun, and I still froze. Then Percy saw me, and he kept the gun on Jonathan, but he pointed to me, and he said something like “Well, Agatha, time to live one of your mystery novels.”

I had my bag, the big hobo purse, and I automatically picked it up when I stood. I guess he figured I wouldn’t have a cell phone inside, so it was fine. I had my journal, and that’s … when he had me get into the back of the van, that’s when I wrote something to Aaron, in case he’d ever find it. Because I thought I was going to die. I didn’t know what I’d walked into, but I was going to die.

There were people already in the van. Lydia and Emily were in the back seat, hands tied together, and mouths duct taped. I don’t know if anything else was tied, because someone else sat in the van, and she had a gun, too. A gun, and bandages all over her face. Like the Invisible Man or something. It’s a big van, three rows of passenger seats, so she had me get in the middle one, and she sat there in the front one, next to the door, with her gun, and Percy got into the shotgun seat and told Jonathan to drive.

That’s when I snuck my journal out and wrote that. Nobody was paying any attention to the three women in the back. They didn’t tie me or tape me. I guess they figured the guns were enough. Which, I mean, they were. I didn’t even ask any questions. I didn’t want to die. I know what I wrote, what I wanted Aaron to see if he ever found it, but I didn’t want to die.

Percy told Jonathan what turns to take, and there were a lot of them. It was weird, because when Jonathan brought us up it wasn’t exactly a straight shot, but it was a lot more highway. Percy took back roads, but I don’t even know all the back roads. I didn’t look up anything about the area, because Jonathan picked me up at the airport and he’d drive me back, and otherwise I’d just stay at Loon Lake. So that seemed weird. That Percy knows the area.

I don’t know how long we drove. I didn’t check my watch when we started. I just know that Percy told Jonathan to pull over, even though there wasn’t a shoulder to the road. It was one of the skinny ones that’s barely enough pavement for two lanes, and no traffic. But Jonathan stopped, and Percy looked at the woman in the rearview mirror, and she sighed and opened the van door. “You, get,” she told me, and I grabbed my bag again. Habit, I guess. Or comfort. But they didn’t stop me.

I almost fell, because my legs were Jell-O, but Percy cranked down his window and leaned out. “Sorry you got dragged into this,” he told me, but he didn’t look sorry. He was just checking something off his list. Dusting his hands. “Wait until we’re out of sight, then follow this road until you hit the lake. Turn left.” That was it: hit the lake and turn left. He rolled up his window and I guess he told Jonathan to drive again.

They drove off. I didn’t have a camera or anything for GPS, and I didn’t have my knitting, but I had a spare charging cord for my kindle, and I tied that around a tree. They’re right up close to the road there, and the cord’s white, so it should be obvious. Then I scuffed an arrow in the dirt—I don’t know why, because it’s not going to last—pointing the way I was walking, and I started walking.

There was nothing. If there had been a house or even a street sign, I could’ve written down an address. Walked up to the house and asked to use the phone. There weren’t even any cars. I could’ve flagged one down, or at least caused enough of a nuisance that maybe somebody would’ve complained about the crazy lady. It was just trees and trees and trees, until I finally saw the lake, and at least I had a street sign so I could write that down.

I saw the beachy turnout, and there were cars, so you probably know this part. I asked someone if there was cell service and they could call 911, but their phone didn’t work. I guess they didn’t want to take me in their car and go however far to reach a police station with a stranger, but someone else said he had a CB on his motorcycle, so he’s the one who called. I didn’t talk to anyone while we waited, because I didn’t really know what to say, and it’s been, well, less than two weeks at Loon Lake, but I was never much for small talk, anyway. So I waited, and you came and picked me up, and brought me here, and can I ask my questions now? Because I saw Alyssa’s car outside, so if she’s here, can I see her? Is she okay?

---

Cold Comfort: Saturday, July 13, 2024 – Henry (1)

I want to talk to my dad. I don’t think they’ll let me, but I say it, anyway: “I want to talk to my dad.” I’m back in the lodge with Truman and Edgar and two guards who look at each other before one turns back to me.

“He’s busy right now, but I’m sure they’ll let us know when he’s available,” he says, like it’s supposed to be reassuring.

Busy. Busy telling them what he’s been up to whenever they think Annabeth died. Was murdered. That’s bad enough, and then, what, busy telling them all he can about Dina so they can figure out if she was supposed to be kidnapped or if she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

I shake my head a little. “My brothers?” It’s not like I expect them to drop everything and come, but I just need someone who cares for me to know there’s more to worry about than me getting a bit homesick and cut-off this summer. My emails, especially to my brothers, have been blasé and dismissive: I’m fine. Getting lots of fresh air. Reading a lot of books.

The officers share another look, which is not reassuring. “We don’t know at the moment what the safest course of action will be.”

If they keep us here, the phones are down. If they let us go spend the night somewhere else, I still need to get my cell back from Jane, but I could make a call. Or even call on a landline or borrow Truman’s phone. If they keep us here, is that unlawful detainment?

“Hey.” Truman wraps his arms around me and kisses my temple. “They’re figuring it out. They don’t know who Percy’s really after, and they won’t know who he is until they find either him or Jonathan, so unless we think of something better, we just have to wait.”

Edgar crosses his arms and leans against the desk on my other side. “Any reason we can’t break into Jonathan’s cabin and find that information?”

“I don’t know if he has it on paper or digitally, but it’ll be in a safe behind a password and a biometric lock.” Truman shrugs at Edgar’s surprised huff. “He takes it all very seriously. That’s why there’s never been a security breach.”

“How did Percy get inside the other cabins?” Edgar challenges.

It’s my turn to snort. “He knocked. They opened the door. And then he didn’t shut them all the way behind him.”

He frowns. “Sloppy, or …?”

Truman starts to take a breath, but all that comes out is “Huh.”

“Or pointing the way?” I agree. “Shoot. We didn’t ask them. Jane or Henry.”

One of the officers steps out for a minute. Maybe their radios work here where cell phones don’t. I mean, they’d be pretty useless if they didn’t.

Wait, does that mean Jane and Henry are safe somewhere? A somewhere that these officers can contact, and ask for information, and get the answers we’re looking for? Maybe that was something they told Truman when I wasn’t paying much attention, or maybe they said it while I was in my cabin, showing my license and letting them do a quick look around to see that no one was hiding anywhere and it didn’t look like anything went down in here the way it did in Jane and Henry’s cabins.

It takes a while for him to come back, but his partner’s looking at him as expectantly as we are. “Percy was agitated. Close to panic.”

I nod, so they all look at me, and that was definitely not my intention. “It makes sense,” I explain, because all those eyes demand that I explain. “He went to Jane because he thought she heard something, but she told him he was wrong, so he went to Henry to find out the next part, and all that mattered was holding them back while he went on to the next person.”

“How long would it have taken you to notice something was wrong if the door hadn’t been left ajar?” one of the officers wants to know.

Truman shakes his head. “Alyssa was off today. She usually goes into town or stays in her cabin. Edgar and I were out kayaking. We don’t usually come in until lunch, and not everybody eats at the same time.”

“What about the Meyers?” he prods.

I shake my head. “If Lydia wasn’t around when someone wanted a hot sandwich for lunch, maybe, but otherwise not until dinner. And Jonathan’s in and out, shopping, doing the emails, that kind of thing. We don’t even have a strict meal schedule. Lydia puts the food out, but you can come in and get it whenever. People aren’t always predictable.”

“What about Dina Lauritsen? Uh. Agatha.” Seriously, it’s like these guys have never heard of nicknames. “Was she predictable?”

Edgar holds up his empty hands. “I was avoiding everyone as much as possible.”

I shake my head. “Some days she’d stay in for breakfast. Sometimes she did lunch with the other two—Jane and Emily—but other times I think she just avoided people, too. She’s been …” I close my eyes. “It hasn’t been a good time for my family. This isn’t really an ultimatum, but Dad wanted to give her some time away so they could both figure out what they want and finally have some sort of plan for moving forward, instead of just trying to make it day by day.” That feels like a betrayal, but he’s going to have to defend sending her here, on her own, to the police, to the media, and to himself.

“And what do you think your father wants, Miss Gladieux?” It’s oh so pointed.

Right. I’m the one who started this. “He wants her to have some breathing space and time to think about it without being pressured. He’s already bought a ring.”

“And he told you that,” the other guy jumps in. “Before you left.”

“Yeah. You have to book the cabins pretty far in advance, and I had the job, so he knew I’d be up here and that would limit how much we could talk. I don’t think he told Dina that part,” I add, like they’re going to find her and immediately blow the surprise, “but he told us. Me and my brothers.”

He nods once, perfunctorily. “How do your brothers feel about the threat of a stepmother?”

That makes me jerk back. “It’s not a threat. They’ve been together for years.”

Truman rubs my back, maybe so I can take a moment and realize yeah, of course the cop said it that way to get a reaction.

“Living in sin?” he suggests.

“So?” It comes out just dripping with scorn.

“I’m just saying,” he presses, because that’s what police do. “Maybe they didn’t want her horning in. Threatening their inheritance.”

Sighing, I cross my arms, knowing full well it’s a defensive gesture and will be read that way. “We’re not in a Grimm’s fairy tale. The only problem my brothers have is that they’re dads of young kids and they have no clue how to respond to or support either Dad or Dina without facing the fact that kids can die.”

“Die.” It’s the one with the notebook, and he taps it with the tip of his pencil. “You believe your half-sister died by accident?”

My shoulders tighten. My arms are a straitjacket. “I know we’re supposed to want justice and stuff, but there comes a point when you run up against the fact that your baby sister’s dead, and nothing anyone does will bring her back.”

“You didn’t want Annabeth Deschain dead?” he asks as though it’s impossible to believe.

“I wanted the truth.” My shrug is tight and angry. “My entire family wanted the truth. If she got up there on that stand and answered questions or tried to straighten out the timeline, then maybe we’d have it. We wanted that trial for closure, officer. You said she’s dead? Annabeth’s dead?”

He nods once. “Likely murdered.” My head shakes before I tell it to. “That’s not closure. That’s just more pain.”

---

Cold Comfort: Friday, July 12, 2024 – Agatha (4)

The sheriff’s department looked like a house with a weird little sign out front claiming it wasn’t. Jane pulled into a parking spot, turned off the engine, and just sat there staring at the building like she was waiting for something.

Henry unclipped his seat belt. “Jane?”

“Give me her phone,” she ordered, small hand held out.

He looked down at it—Alyssa’s phone, with Aaron Gladieux’s private number somewhere in her contacts, and why had he only just realized it?—and sighed but passed it over. This was not the time to argue. It wasn’t entirely the time to make amends or any such thing, but if she felt better taking Alyssa’s phone, even when they both knew the passcode, then fine.

She got out of the car, so he did, too, stretching and looking around at what he supposed was a village. It was small, it was cute, and it was right on the Great Lake itself, but it wasn’t entirely reassuring. What did these people know about dealing with whatever the hell was going on at Loon Lake?

They went inside and the woman behind the front desk didn’t even look up. She had the phone crooked between her shoulder and her ear and a pen in one hand. The other came up to wave the two of them to take a seat, and come on. This was an emergency!

“She’s probably talking to someone who knows more than we do,” Jane murmured, choosing a chair as requested and rubbing at her wrist. With her shorts and tank top, the marks were pretty darn obvious. The tape on Henry’s own arms was tucked into his sweatshirt sleeves and it kind of surprised him that he’d somehow forgotten about it already.

A side door opened and a man in a khaki uniform and with a respectably bushy mustache came out, eyebrows going up slightly at the marks on Jane. “You’re the two from Loon Lake?” he asked, starting with his eyes on Jane’s and switching to Henry’s halfway through the question.

She nodded.

“Right, if you’ll just come back with me, I’ve got some questions for you,” he suggested in the tone of a man used to saying the same thing to everyone.

“Separately,” Jane said, standing up readily enough.

“I’m sorry?” This made him pause, one eyebrow raised, because that wasn’t the expected response.

“I’ll answer your questions,” she informed him, looking up frankly instead of insouciantly, “but not in front of him.”

The man blinked, then nodded once. “Right, Loon Lake. Come on back, though. I can talk to you separately, but I don’t want to just leave you out here.”

Even though the woman behind the desk barely said things beyond Copy and Repeat that. Henry had, of course, been paying attention. He stood up and gestured for Jane to go first, because antagonizing law enforcement was not the way to get them to open up to you later. He declined the offer of something to drink, accepted a chair in what looked like one step up from a holding cell, and waited while Jane made her statement or answered questions or whatever they wanted from her.

He couldn’t hear anything above murmurs from anyone. That was probably most of the point of this uncomfortable metal and fake leather chair. Hell, nobody would know what was going on at this point, anyway, but this guy was smart. He didn’t know what Henry did for a living, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

Henry didn’t have any way of keeping track of passing time, but it felt like quite a while before the man came back with Jane in his wake. The first thing out of his mouth was “She said you’ve still got the tape on you?”

Henry nodded, so before he had to face the other man and answer whatever questions Jane’s statements brought up, he was photographed in his current clothes, then with the outer layers stripped, and then someone wearing gloves ever so carefully removed the duct tape so it could be bagged and probably fingerprinted and who knew what else. That part, at least, felt very CSI, so maybe they weren’t all country bumpkins up this way.

Dressed again, he was led back into an office where the desk between him and the officer was supposed to be offset by his smile and his casual gesture for Henry to take a seat. “I’m Deputy Kurtti. Jane there called you Henry.”

He nodded.

“But, when you’re at home …” He clicked his pen.

Henry sighed and gave his name, home address, and phone number as requested.

“Jane there says you’re a reporter,” he prompted, like a grunt was all most people needed to spill their guts.

“Yes.” This was an interrogation, so saying as little as possible seemed like the best course of action.

“And you specifically came to Loon Lake following a story,” he continued, still apparently calm.

“I did.” Shoot, did he need a lawyer?

“You found out somehow …” Deputy Kurtti paged back through his little notebook. “Via a source … that Aaron Gladieux paid for a cabin this month, so you decided he did so for Annabeth Deschain. I’m not entirely clear why he would do that.”

Henry took a slow breath, clasped his hands, and immediately regretted the defensive gesture. “Annabeth Deschain’s diaries show an obsession with Aaron Gladieux. Everyone dismissed it as unrequited. I’m not so sure.”

“You think he paid for his girlfriend to come up here for a month so …?” The deputy drew out that last word.

“So he could get Dina Lauritsen out of the house.” Henry tried not to sigh.

Deputy Kurtti tapped the eraser of his pencil on his desk. “And you thought that Deschain was the resident named Emily.”

“Yes.” Jane had to have told him this.

“Until today, when you spoke to one of the employees. Alyssa.” Deputy Kurtti tilted his head. “She only has one name, and she told you she is in fact Alyssa Gladieux, daughter of Aaron Gladieux.”

“Yes.” Seriously. This was a waste of time.

The deputy nodded slowly. “That’s been confirmed, by the way. We’ve checked the ID of everyone still on the premises.”

“Wait, who’s not on the premises?” Henry only realized as he said it that repeating the officer’s phrasing sounded snarky.

Kurtti took his time flipping back more pages. “We have Truman, Alyssa, and ‘Edgar.’”

“Wait, but.” No Percy or Jonathan, of course, but no Lydia, Emily, Agatha, or Mary, either? “Did …?” He cut himself off, but Kurtti waited with a raised eyebrow. “Did anyone ever confirm that Mary Shelley actually exists?”

“Jane told me nobody’s ever seen her. I know the officers on the scene will be doing everything they can to confirm what’s happening.” Then, in the same tone, like it was nothing: “Jane suggested that you might have recordings of all your conversations with the other residents.”

Shit.

“Those might help us figure out who we’re looking for,” Kurtti pointed out, in case Henry hadn’t thought of it.

“You’re telling me there’s no record you can access without Jonathan?” Henry asked quickly, trying not to jump to the defensive and clearly failing. “He doesn’t have to leave any of that information in case of something like this?”

“Oddly enough, most people don’t leave such contingencies in case they get kidnapped.” Kurtti raised an eyebrow at him. “Did you? In case you disappeared?”

Henry swallowed. “No.” The safety deposit box would only be opened in the event of his death. He didn’t think he was going to die for this story. Need a lawyer after it broke, sure, because of the NDA and all, but not die. Even this morning, he hadn’t actually thought he would die. So why was he currently thinking that this was far worse?

Could they just go in and take it without a warrant? If the story was that they’d left Henry’s cabin empty, so of course Percy had already gone, then they’d want to get evidence of the cut phone line, maybe, but they couldn’t remove or search for anything that included in the warrant. Jonathan could allow them in, maybe, after they found him, but the belongings inside were all Henry’s.

He looked up at Kurtti, who waited silently, if not entirely patiently. “I’d like to consult a lawyer before proceeding any further.”

Kurtti sighed. “Lives are at stake, Mr. Bosch.” Maybe they were, but surrendering his notes and recordings wasn’t necessarily going to help. Even if they had a whole team ready to go over the recordings, it would take hours upon hours to listen to everything, and then try to draw their conclusions, and cross-reference, and by that point, if the others hadn’t been found, they’d probably never be. “Then I guess you’d better let me get that lawyer fast.”

---

Cold Comfort: Friday, July 12, 2024 – Alyssa (6)

I have no idea how close these cars must have been to get here this fast, but Truman steps forward and takes charge, overriding some of their questions to give them the important information first: he saw Jonathan driving the van away with Percy in the passenger seat; no one knows who else was in the van, but someone saw Henry with a gun earlier; and we didn’t get answers at two of the cabins but didn’t try the third, or the Meyers’ cabin.

Edgar offers me his arm and I tuck myself under it gratefully. Truman’s distracted, and I’m overwhelmed, and it doesn’t really matter to me if Edgar’s sincere or just working on his father-figure image. I lean against him and wait for someone to ask me a direct question.

Right now they seem to be doing a lot of nothing. Dad and Dina probably felt the same way, but there’s a world of difference when the missing people are adults. Two of them question Truman, and keep an eye on us, I guess, while the other two go check Dickinson, Christie, and Shelley. They report back that no one was inside and nothing looked disturbed before they head over to the Meyers’ cabin.

They had to break into all of them, right? Since Jonathan’s not here to use his thumb. Truman saw Jonathan driving away with Percy, and Henry saw Percy had a gun, and apparently the others really are missing, but it still feels like we’re doing something wrong by letting the police come here and have a look.

The Meyers’ cabin raises some red flags, but they don’t even ask Truman any specifics about it. They just come back, pull one of our guys over to confer, and get on their radios to call for more people.

The other one gestures to include all three of us instead of just Truman. “We’d like to do a quick sweep of your cabins just to make sure no one’s hiding in them and to check your ID.” So I guess at least Truman explained that we don’t have any on us, but it’ll be in the cabin safes.

And they’re not taking any chances. Two of them stay with Edgar and me and two go with Truman to his cabin. When they come back, Truman sort of takes up a position on my other side so Edgar can go off with the same two, which he at least doesn’t seem to resent. Then again, his identity is his face, so he knew what would happen as soon as he hit the panic buttons, but he hit all twelve of them anyway.

Truman leans his head against mine, but he doesn’t say anything. Maybe they told him not to, or maybe he just knows you don’t offer information to the police if you don’t have to. Supporting me like this could be bad enough, although he took over from Edgar, so it’s not necessarily a specific claim or anything.

I blink and suddenly lift my head. “Did you tell them about Agatha?”

“Yes, Miss Gladieux,” one of the officers answers for him. “We’d like to ask you if you think that Dina Lauritsen was a target all along.”

“A target? Of … Percy?” None of this connects. It doesn’t make any sense.

He nods, pulling out a notebook.

“Uh.” I shake my head a little. “Henry’s a reporter who came because he thought Annabeth Deschain was here, and he thought Emily was Annabeth Deschain, but I don’t think he had a clue about Agatha. Dina. But I’ve got no idea who Percy is. I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

“Miss Gladieux.” The other officer adjusts his belt and seems to change tracks: “How long have you been at Loon Lake?”

“Uh.” I’m really coming across as sharp and with it. “May. It was a Tuesday. The twenty-first.” Why does that matter?

“And when’s the last time you checked the news?” he asks briskly.

I blink. “Yesterday. Before lunch. I went to the library down in Houghton.” Well, it’s true, so I come out with it: “I looked to see if there were any updates about Annabeth Deschain. If she’s still in hiding.”

He nods slowly. “The news didn’t break until later yesterday afternoon.”

“Wait, what?” Seriously, no connections. No sense.

“There was a body found earlier this week only just identified as Annabeth Deschain,” he explains almost gently. “The coroner believes she’s been dead for four to six weeks, closer to four.”

I shake my head a little. “What do you mean, found?”

“Both your father and Dina Lauritsen are wanted for questioning.” He doesn’t even say it gently. It’s because he realizes I haven’t caught on yet.

That doesn’t answer my question. “Found murdered? Somebody murdered Annabeth?”

“It certainly seems that way, yes,” the first officer says quietly, little pencil poised at the ready.

“Four to …” I accept Truman’s help to sit down in the wheeled chair, so I don’t collapse to the floor. “No, they wouldn’t. Neither of them would.”

“But you understand our desire to confirm that,” he presses, each word a barb.

I shake my head a little, but they’re more likely to interpret it as disbelief and not a contradiction of their actual statement.

This has nothing to do with the phone call to Emily on Tuesday. If they only just identified her yesterday, it can’t have anything to do with the request for the residents’ full names, either. There’s something else going on, too. And clearly, it’s more than just Emily, unless Percy has something to do with Emily, but he’s also out there, presumably with a gun and a van full of everyone else he tracked down at Loon Lake.

Why didn’t he come looking for me? Why did he leave Jane and Henry tied up and alive, and Edgar and Truman out on the lake? If he’s got Jonathan, Lydia, Emily, Jane, and Mary, is it because he honestly wanted all of them, or were some of them just in the way? And in the way of what? What the hell could be so damn important to Percy that he’d do all this just to try to figure out who wants his real name?

The two officers come back with Edgar, who frowns and quickens his step as he approaches the desk. “Alyssa?” It doesn’t matter if that’s fake concern or real. I start crying and bury my face in my hands as Truman awkwardly pulls me toward him and tells Edgar the news.

---

Cold Comfort: Friday, July 12, 2024 – Henry (6)