I met Mr. Walter that evening.
I heard him before I saw him.
The sound of a car pulling up outside the house echoed faintly through the long hallway. A moment later the front door opened, followed by the deep murmur of a man’s voice greeting someone downstairs.
The house shifted slightly when he arrived.
It wasn’t loud.
Nothing in this house ever was.
But something about the atmosphere changed, like the air itself straightened.
I was halfway down the staircase when he stepped into view.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Dark suit jacket draped neatly over one arm.
He looked exactly like the kind of man people would trust with important decisions.
The kind of man who spoke in meetings while everyone else listened.
Mrs. Walter stood beside him in the entry hall.
“Jackie,” she said when sh
