It was only a few days after Adam’s passing, a Saturday morning, when Dan was surprised by a knock at his door. He turned the heat on under his teakettle and hurried to answer it. He wondered who had come to call this early. Glancing at the clock, he confirmed that it was only a little after nine.
The knock sounded again.
“Coming!”
Dan peered through the peephole and saw Sullivan standing outside. He didn’t know how to feel; the man had been so standoffish toward him during the whole prison ordeal.
Dan opened the door. For several moments, the two men simply stared at one another. A family passed on the walkway behind Sullivan, laden down with stuff for the beach: an umbrella, towels, net bags, bucket and shovel. The two children, a dark-haired boy and girl, laughed and chattered happi
