Rain had been falling since morning, a big full and steady curtain that blurred the canal outside into shifting streaks of silver. Kennedy moved tiredly through the dining room, clearing plates without a word, her sleeves brushing the table edge. She paused by the window, staring out at the rippling water, and Alecia joined her without thinking, their reflections faint in the glass. The streetlamps beyond wavered like tired stars, their glow shivering on the canal’s surface.

The air ...