“It’s funny how things work out,” I added, my voice dripping with exhaustion.

Nathaniel didn’t answer right away.

He walked over to the large glass window, looking out over the glittering city.

The silence in the office was thick, broken only by the crackle of the wood in the fireplace.

Ruby finished her cider and set the empty mug on the glass table.

She reached out and took my hand again, her small fingers warm now.

“Are we going home now, Mommy?” she asked.

Before I could answer, the red light on Nathaniel’s desk phone began to flash.

An intercom buzzed, a sharp, demanding sound that shattered the quiet.

Nathaniel didn’t move toward it immediately.

He stood by the window, his back to us, his shoulders tense.

“Mr. Graves,” the secretary’s voice came through the speaker, sounding nervous.

“Mr. Dunleavy is downstairs in the lobby.”

“He says he needs to speak with you immediately about an urgent tenant matter at Brindlewood.”

“He says it cannot wait.”

I felt my heart stop.

I gripped Ruby’s hand so hard she winced.