At the apartment he spread his bills on the kitchen table. With his paycheck gone, the arithmetic that had been tight became frightening. He had enough savings to cover rent for a limited period if nothing unexpected happened. He contacted the benefits office to find out when his coverage ended and learned that several prescriptions would soon need a new payment arrangement. He wrote down the information carefully because panic made details hard to remember. Then he folded the papers and placed them beneath the sugar bowl, Miriam's old habit when something needed attention but could not be resolved that day.
Two officers knocked on Wednesday morning. They introduced themselves, asked whether he was Byron Fletcher, and explained they were following up on a complaint of assault. He invited them into the small kitchen after asking what their visit meant and whether he was free to decline a statement. They were not there to arrest him. Byron described the event in chronological order and told them that a coach named Nora Ashford had a complete recording.
One officer asked whether Byron had served in the military. Byron said he had. The officer asked what kind of fighting he had been taught, and Byron declined to provide a dramatic demonstration at his kitchen table. He explained that he had tried to avoid being drawn into the event and that his response was intended to stop the immediate danger. The officers left with their notes and said a detective would contact him. Byron watched from the window until their car disappeared, aware that a legal problem could consume money far more quickly than he could earn it.
He called three attorneys from a directory. One refused the case because of its publicity. Another said the firm's resources were already committed. The third asked for a retainer Byron could not possibly provide. He tried a legal aid line and learned that the organization handled only certain categories of matters, but a volunteer offered to send information about local defense services. The hours of calling exhausted him more than his night shifts ever had.
Nora phoned that evening and heard the change in his breathing before he told her what had happened. She offered to help pay for a lawyer. He refused the money, not because he doubted her sincerity, but because he knew her coaching salary had barely covered her own living expenses. She told him that allowing someone to help was not the same thing as surrendering independence. He answered that he would remember that. It was the closest either had come to speaking openly about how badly the situation frightened him.
Nora could not shake the feeling that Wade had prepared his version long before consulting any legal advisor. She returned to the screenshots she had saved, compared the published video with her original, and wrote a timeline from the first incidents through the final challenge. She