Right after Byron found out what happened, he got on the phone with his lawyer.

Emily listened intently, trying to tell by the expressions on his face and what he was saying whether there was any hope for Nick. Byron seemed to be frowning a lot, but it was hard to tell whether he was just concentrating or something discouraging was being revealed.

“The bad news is he’s eighteen, so he’ll be tried as an adult,” Byron said after he got off the phone, “But ...