Chapter 4
Billy called first thing the next morning, before six. Erika wondered if he was going to yell at her for leaving him frustrated. All things being equal, it was a lousy thing to do. “Hey, I—”
“I know it’s early. Booger said you were up.”
Haya-oki wa sanmon no toku. The early bird gets the worm. Nobuo Tsuchino had bandied that phrase about quite often as well.
“For quite a while, actually.” Erika had dreamt of her late father just before dawn. It felt like something meaningful. “You talked to Milo already?”
“I did.”
“To complain about last night, or is that what this is for?” Erika asked, voice softening. “Because I really could have handled that better.”
“No. This is serious.”
“Oh.” She sat on the foot of the bed and braced herself. “You okay? Your parents? Your brothers a
