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"You don’t have any siblings"

"Present tense, that’s true ButI did An older brother He died at age ten He never saw a doctor We couldn’t get good treatment because of who my family arlords, landowners, traitors We didn’t even knoas wrong with him He was frail, clumsy He broke bones a lot Finally his body justquit on hiured out what he had"

I was silent for a verse of "We Three Kings" "Muscular dystrophy?"

"I’ve been talking to doctors," Maia said "It passes through the mother’s side, even if the mother doesn’t have it A boy child would have about a fifty percent chance of inheriting the disease"

"Andis it a boy?"

"I don’t know yet, Tres I kind of don’t want to know"

Maia’s present was still next to reen bow and said nothing

"You didn’t choose to be a dad, Tres You’re not obligated to help Especially not"

She didn’t finish, but I understood: Especially not after Ralph’s death

I slid her the present "Open it"

She looked at the battered shoebox One of theThe box looked like it had been packaged by a cluartner

Maia set her tea on the railing and opened the box Inside, wads of tissue paper and a smaller box Inside that, a still smaller box This one black velvet

She opened the hinged lid

"Corny, I know," I said "Ana helped ht size"

Maia held up the ring like it was critical case evidence "Tres--"

"I didn’t know about diaure you for a dia So--"

"Tres--"

"If you think it’s a bad idea" My face felt hot "Ito me?"

"You could keep the Austin aparte I ured myself for old-fashioned, but the kid needs a dad I ot one, but he needs one full-tie, I mean"

"Jesus"

"Is that a no?"

She threw her arms around , splattering all over the place The diao I felt dizzy, like I’d just been pulled back froe of a cliff

"That’s a yes, stupid," she told ain, and I tried to forcehad changed So inside The air outside was getting colder

Mrs Loomis called to us from the front door She had atole for us to try She and Saahyourself into?"

"None," I admitted "Absolutely none"

"That makes two of us," she said "Come on"

She took my hand and led

JULY 14, 1987

WHEN SHE WAS SURE THE POLICEWOMAN was gone, thirteen-year-old Madeleine White opened the passenger’s door of the Mercedes and got out

She stared at her brother’s body A halo of blood glistened around his head His fingers were curled like claws into the dirt

She didn’t want to get closer She wanted to run But a hot, scratchy rope knotted around her heart, pulling her forward

She had watched the argument

Until the end, she’d been more afraid of Frankie than the policewoman Even now, as he lay et up He was dazed, or faking it You couldn’t kill Frankie that easily

She took another step toward hi into the cheap green cotton of her patient scrubs