Perhaps out of fear that the old crone would interfere, Maverick wasted no time the next morning in buying her a bus ticket and personally escorting her to the station.

With that parasite out of the house, the air practically sparkled with newfound freshness.

I treated myself to a warm cup of milk, slid on my headphones, and opened up the software Ms. Wood had provided, granting me live access to the bugged device hidden inside Maverick’s car.

In the ...