He arrived at ten.
The letter had arrived at eight. Aria had read it, called Helen, understood the structure of it — a preemptive filing, designed to characterize Frank before Paul Garrett’s testimony could reframe the record. Someone who didn’t want the Meridian history reopened. Someone with enough resources to file formally and enough knowledge of the timeline to act before the testimony was submitted.
Helen was already working on it when Frank’s car pulled up outside.
Aria went down to meet him alone.
He looked better than he had in February. Eight months of sobriety had done what it always did — restored some of the person who had been there before the thing that had taken over. He was thinner than she remembered from childhood but his eyes were clearer. He stood on the pavement w
