Her legs went away again and she sat with a hard thump on the front steps. It rained on her, but she didn’t care.

“Listen, I know it’s a bad time. You’re probably just getting ready to eat some turkey and pumpkin pie. I wouldn’t have bothered you, but I felt you had the right to know. I’ll give you a few days. You know where I am. Give me a call by Tuesday, all right? I’m sorry, Erin. I am. But, damn it, we need you there. We need you to stand up and tell the board what this man has done to you.”

She thanked him for telling her and hung up before putting her head on her knees and giving over to tears.

“Where’s Erin?” Todd asked Brody, who shrugged.

“Dunno. I haven’t seen her in a while. Is everything all right?”

“She was here and then she took a call.” Todd looked around but didn’t see her.

As he walked through the front entry, he glanced to the left and saw her through the windows, hunched over, sitting on the front steps in the pouring rain. Panic held him for a moment.

He turned to see Ben had just walked into the foyer. “Down the hall in the linen closet. Towels. Hurry,” he told Ben as he moved to the door.

Todd rushed outside.

“Erin? Honey?”

She turned, and it was obvious she’d been crying. She turned her back to him, trying to wipe her eyes, but the rain simply made that task impossible.

“You’re scaring me. What is it?”

Ben came out, and they each took an arm and brought her inside to where others had gathered in the hall. Ben toweled off her hair and Todd took a hand. His heart thundered. He hadn’t seen her this upset since the day in June when he’d broken into her apartment on the anniversary of Adele’s death.

Brody pushed his way through and took her upper arms. “What is it? Tell me!”

“Cabot is getting a parole hearing,” she said, snapping from her tears. Her hands gripped the front of Brody’s sweater, her eyes bearing a haunted look that tore at Todd’s heart.

“Okay, everyone out,” Todd’s mother ordered before she pressed a tumbler into Erin’s hand. “Drink it.”

Erin gulped it down and coughed.

“That’s the way. A little Jameson will get you warm. Go into my closet and grab a sweater,” she told Todd’s dad, who sent a look of condolence to Todd.

She bent in front of Erin. Todd had managed to get her sitting on the upholstered bench in the front hall. She began to shiver. Ben wrapped a dry towel around her.

His mother took Erin’s hands. “This is the bastard who killed Adele?”

Erin paled, which Todd couldn’t believe was possible, as she’d already been paler than he’d ever seen her. She nodded and Brody sat on the floor, leaning his head against Erin’s side.

Adrian sighed and sat on her other side.

“We’ll go down there and testify. We can do that too, right?” Brody asked. “He can’t get away with this. They have to know what it’s been like since.”

Todd’s mother brushed a hand over Erin’s forehead, pushing her hair back from her eyes. “Erin, sweetie, why don’t you change into some dry clothes and lie down for a while? Then you’ll wake up and eat and we’ll work out how to deal with this. Of course we’ll all do what we can to support you.”

Alarm gripped Todd’s gut. Erin had sort of disappeared into herself. He’d never seen her this way. He looked at Ben, who also wore a haunted face.

“Not again.” Her voice was a bare whisper. “I want to go home. I want to be alone for a while,” Erin said, her voice flat and empty.

Todd’s mother turned to him, standing. “Take her home. I’ll get you some food to take with. You call the doctor if she’s not livelier in a few hours, do you hear me?”

“No. Todd and Ben, stay here with your family. Brody or Adrian can take me home. Or I can go myself. I need to be alone.” Erin spoke, but her eyes didn’t have their usual warmth. She wasn’t even pissed that they’d all been coddling her. That in and of itself was worrying.

Todd cut his gaze to Brody, who returned his concern.

Brody stood. “Okay, Erin. Let’s go, baby.” He wrapped her in another towel and Adrian grabbed her purse. “Stay here. No use your day getting ruined. I’m just going to give her a Xanax and tuck her into bed,” he said to Todd.

“The hell,” Ben spoke from next to Todd with such vehemence Lorie looked at him askance.

Annalee approached and put her arms around Erin, kissing her cheek. “Let them give you comfort. You need it.” Erin roused a bit and more tears came.

Lorie nodded, looking slightly confused.

Renee came forward with several bags of food, DJ at her side. “What can we do?”

Todd was so grateful for these people, every last one of them.

“Brody, it’s okay, I’ve got her.” Todd took over, and Brody nodded, approval in his eyes.

“Honey, let’s get you home. We’ll tuck up into bed, eat turkey and you can wear your flannel jammies.”

She nodded absently when he’d been hoping for a smile. Ben came up on Erin’s other side.

“Get her home. Call me later and let us know she’s all right,” his mother said.

“I’ll make some calls,” his father said. “We’ll make sure this bastard stays in prison.”

Grateful for all the support, Todd hugged them both and took the bags of food.