In the quiet lull between breakfast and lunch Jarod drank from a cup that contained more sugar than coffee, decompressed. When his mobile rang he answered guardedly, "Melissa, are you okay?"

"Thank you."

Jarod, beset by déjà vu, asked, "For?"

"He's dead. Authorities don't suspect aspiration, secondary drowning, you."

Straightening, Jarod stammered, "Me?"

"I intercepted the tape, and," Melissa added contentedly, "destroyed it."

"You obstructed justice?"

"No, I facilitated it; giving me back my life," she answered resolutely, "won't cost you yours."