“Thank you,” Köhler said
Farrow put his hand on Köhler’s shoulder, over the navy wool.
Köhler turned to me.
I shifted my weight on the crutches.
He didn’t come forward. I didn’t either. The space between us held.
“You kept the trust,” he said.
“Henry gave it to us.”
He nodded once. The gate camera beeped on Vega’s phone in the hall.
“Car’s here.”
Köhler set the loaf on the kitchen table. He picked up the leather bag and pulled the lapels of Reed’s overcoat closer at the throat.
“Forgive me,” he said to the room. “I'm not going to draw this out.”
“Good,” Samuel said.
Vega opened the front door.
Two agents came up the brick walk. The lead was Special Agent Weber. I’d seen her in Eleanor’s kitchen on Tuesday afternoon, putting cuffs on a sixty-three-year-old housekeeper while Eleanor sat across the room and did not look away. She caught my eye in the doorway and tipped her chin a half-inch.
The second agent was younger and didn’t speak.
Weber took Köhler’s bag. The younger agent picked up the wrapped loaf from the kitchen table and carried it out to the car ahead of him.
Köhler paused at the threshold. He looked back into the kitchen.
“Wiley.”
“Yes?”
“The piece. When you write it, his mother’s name was Catherine. She was a kind woman. Use her name.”
“I will.”
Köhler walked down the brick path. Weber walked at his left shoulder. The younger agent had the rear passenger door open and the loaf already on the back seat. Köhler ducked into the car. Weber walked around to the front passenger side and got in.
I hobbled out to the side of the house on my crutches. Farrow stood at my left shoulder. Wiley came up on my right. Samuel stood behind Wiley with both hands on his shoulders. Cabot was in the doorway behind us, coat still on.
The car cleared the gate.
“He’ll be alright,” Wiley said.
Farrow touched the small of my back briefly and dropped away.
Samuel turned first. He went back to the kitchen. The kettle had started to whistle. I heard him lift it off the burner.
Cabot cleared his throat behind us. “I should go check on a few things upstairs.”
“Stanley,” Farrow said, “stay with us for now.”
“I’ll stay.”