That evening, Eleanor and James sat together on the sofa as the light faded. She told him about Richard's response in the office. James listened without interrupting, but the muscles beside his jaw tightened. His usual answer to uncertainty was measurement, a drawing, a calculation that would make the problem smaller. Richard had created a situation in which every solved problem was followed by another accusation.
"Perhaps we should talk to a lawyer," Eleanor said.
"Perhaps we should call Thomas."
She shook her head. "He has hearings all week. This is a housing dispute, James. People solve these every day without calling an appellate judge."
"He's also our son."
"That's precisely why I don't want him running into this as our rescuer. He will forget all the rules about sleeping and eating as soon as he thinks we're in danger."
James put his arm around her shoulders. "You still see the boy who climbed the apple tree and couldn't work out how to get down."
"Someone had to go up after him."
"You did."
"And he was furious because I made him wear a helmet afterward."
They laughed, briefly. Then the silence returned, and Eleanor realized she was watching the hallway door as if expecting another letter to appear beneath it. She had spent eight years feeling that their apartment was the place where the rest of the world could be left outside. Richard was teaching her that a locked door did not always keep danger away when the person threatening her possessed the keys.
At Caldwell Properties, Richard had already scheduled a meeting with Grant Evers and Jonah Mercer. He showed them the latest renderings and promised that remaining occupancy issues were under control. Grant, whose firm had negotiated acquisitions across the city, asked whether all tenants had legally agreed to leave. Richard avoided the question by pointing to a chart showing his projected profit.
"They're old leases," he said. "We're managing the exits."
"Our lenders will want vacant-possession assurances," Grant replied. "I don't want a lawsuit attached to the building."
"There won't be a lawsuit."
Jonah leaned across the table. "And if someone refuses?"
Richard smiled with the confidence of a man who had never been required to bear the personal cost of his own threats. "Everybody has a price. And the ones who pretend they don't usually have a fear."
Grant did not smile back. He had dealt with aggressive sellers, but Richard's certainty made him uneasy. He requested written warranties and proof of compliance. Richard promised to deliver them after the weekend, then decided the weekend would have to settle the matter.