His face was completely calm, his eyes resting first on me, then sliding down to where Eleanor’s fingers were still dug into my wrist.

“Sarah,” he said, his voice quiet and even. “You shouldn’t be in here.”

“She was frightened, Nathan,” I said, my voice shaking despite my best efforts to keep it steady.

“She is confused,” Nathan said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him with a soft click. “The sun went down two hours ago. Her sundowning always peaks at this hour.”

He walked toward the bed, his leather shoes silent on the rug.

Eleanor’s grip tightened on my arm, her fingernails pressing hard enough to leave red crescent marks in my skin.

She pulled herself slightly behind my shoulder, her small frame trembling against my back.

“Don’t let him take the ledger, Sarah,” she muttered, her voice dropping to a rapid, frantic hiss. “He’ll burn it. He burns everything.”

“Eleanor,” Nathan said, stopping at the foot of the bed. “It’s time for your evening dose. The red tablet.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic medicine cup containing a single pill.