Chapter 4

I crossed the freezing alley and knocked gently on Mrs. Gable's door.

The deadbolt clicked, and the elderly woman pulled the door open, the warm aroma of hot cocoa and toasted bread immediately washing over me. Inside, Noah was sitting at the small kitchen table, wrapped securely in a thick flannel quilt, coloring on the back of an old recipe card.

The moment he saw me, he slid off the wooden chair and ran into my arms.

I knelt on the linoleum, dropping my sequence ledger onto the table, and pulled him tight against my chest. His small arms wrapped…