Charles refused to accept the separation.
He believed the incident could be reversed if he persuaded Hannah to call it a misunderstanding.
He found her outside the staff entrance while she waited for a rideshare she could not really afford.
“Miss Brooks,” he said, “I owe you an apology.”
She looked at the sidewalk rather than his polished shoes.
“You owe one to the man you called a nuisance.”
“I was under pressure.”
“So was I.”
Charles offered her an envelope.
“This is a gesture of goodwill.”
Hannah did not take it.
“What is inside?”
“Enough to make tonight easier.”
She finally looked up.
“I have no idea what that means.”
“It means you wouldn’t have to worry about your next rent payment.”
Hannah’s rent was nine days overdue.
Her brother Noah had a cracked laptop screen and a final project due on Monday.
She was so tired that the suggestion struck exactly where it was intended.
But Charles had placed his other hand on a folded sheet of paper.
“I would only need you to confirm that nobody meant any harm.”
Hannah understood then that the money came with a sentence she would be expected to repeat.
“Keep your envelope,” she said.
Charles’s smile disappeared.
“You may be making a very expensive mistake.”
“I’ve made plenty of mistakes,” Hannah replied.
“I can live with this one.”
She walked toward the train station instead of waiting for the car.
Charles remained beneath the awning, holding a bribe that suddenly looked smaller than it had five minutes earlier.
Chapter 5: The Brother at Home
Noah was still awake when Hannah reached their apartment in Dorchester.
The kitchen light illuminated textbooks, a bowl of cereal, and a paper notice from the landlord.
Hannah took off her shoes before stepping inside because the soles were soaked.
“You’re home early,” Noah said.
She put her bag down.
“I got fired.”
Noah immediately closed his laptop.
“What happened?”
Hannah told him about the old man, the stew, Charles Voss, and the silver phone.
She left out the envelope until Noah asked why she looked angrier than frightened.
When she described Charles’s offer, Noah said nothing for a long time.
“We could have used it,” he finally admitted.
“I know.”
“I’m not saying you should’ve taken it.”
“I know that too.”
He moved the rent notice beneath a textbook.
Hannah pulled it back into view.
“We have to talk about this.”
Noah had been offered a paid internship, but it began in six weeks.
