POV: Yessica | Location: Edinburgh
"Pippa," Yessica said.
Lewis went still.
Not tense — still. The specific stillness of someone who understood the weight of a name without needing it explained.
"I'll step away," he said.
"No." The word came out before she'd decided it. "Stay."
She answered.
"Yessica." Pippa's voice was careful. Stripped of the warmth she usually performed on opening. Just the name. Just — presence.
"I'm here," Yessica said.
"I know this isn't— I know you said you needed time. I'm not calling to push. I just—" A breath. "I retracted the statement. I wanted you to hear that from me, not from Diana."
"I know. Diana told me Thursday."
"Okay." A pause. "Did it help?"
"It helped the filing, yes."
"That's not what I meant."
Yessica looked out at the Grassmarket. Th
