Lorenzo’s hand remained steady, but his eyes narrowed.

“What are you talking about?” Lorenzo asked.

Dr. Halloran shifted his weight, his leather case clicking against his coat buttons.

“Do you really think this started with the boy?” Halloran asked. “Do you really think Sophia’s death was just an accident?”

The name seemed to hang in the freezing air between them.

Lorenzo’s expression didn’t change, but I saw his knuckles turn white around the grip of his gun.

“Sophia’s car went off the road,” Lorenzo said, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. “It was a wet night.”

“It was a very wet night,” Halloran agreed, his smile widening slightly, though his eyes remained terrified. “But the brakes on that car didn’t fail because of the rain, Lorenzo.”

My breath caught in my throat.

I looked at Lorenzo, whose eyes were fixed on the doctor.

The wind seemed to die down for a brief second, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence in its wake.

Before Lorenzo could speak, a bright light suddenly cut through the darkness from the road outside the gate.

Headlights.