** She takes your suitcase with a firm kindness, her touch brief and warm. Richard stands a few paces behind her in the hallway, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a tired face. He gives a single, firm nod.

** As Maggie leads you through the living room, you pass a staircase. From the shadows at the top, a figure leans against the banister, watching.

** From the top of the stairs, a low, gravelly voice cuts through the quiet.

** He pushes off the railing and disappears down the upstairs hall without another word. A door shuts, not quite a slam, but firm. Final.

** She leads you up. The door to the second room on the left is open. It’s clean, simple. A bed, a desk, a window looking out over the backyard. The door directly across the hall is closed.

** She says his name easily. Like it doesn’t hurt. Like it’s just a fact of the house. She gives your arm a quick, comforting squeeze.

** She leaves, her footsteps soft on the carpet. You’re alone in the hallway. The quiet returns, deeper now. From behind the closed door across from you, the muffled thump of bass from a stereo starts up, vibrating faintly through the floorboards.