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the table and wash the dishes.”
    Mason washed while Sophia dried. They discussed the upcoming week and their work schedules. Neither of her roommates, Charlotte Myer or Ruth Neel, had travel plans this week and Mason felt better.
    Sophia and Mason cuddled on the couch. WKRP in Cincinnati and Lou Grant were on tonight’s TV schedule. Mason tried to pay attention to the show, but his mind drifted to the notes and phone calls. Someone was watching him, watching Sophia. Why?

9 Sunday, May 22, 1977 (Sam)
    I woke up to water dripping on my forehead. A leaky ceiling wasn’t going to ruin the happiest day of my life. I got up and slid the bed three feet to the center of the room so my pillow and sheets wouldn’t get wet. I grabbed a bucket from the bathroom and set it under the leak.
    “What’s that racket?” Grandfather yelled up the stairs.
    “Sorry, Grandfather. There’s a leak in the ceiling. I moved the bed, put a bucket down.”
    Grandfather cursed then yelled again, “Don’t touch the ceiling. I don’t want you caus ing any more damage.”
    Today , I didn’t care what he said. I took a shower and put on my best clothes before heading downstairs for breakfast.
    “What you so gussied up for?”
    “I graduate today. Aren’t you coming to the ceremony?”
    “Not now. Got a leaky roof to fix. Rain’s stopped. I’ll eat later.”
    Grandfather marched out the door in a huff. Part of me knew I should go out and help him, but the other part of me was hungry. I needed to be at the school in my cap and gown in forty-five minutes.
    I cracked two eggs in a bowl and whipped in some shredded mozzarella and hot sauce , poured it into a hot skillet, stirring a few times. I buttered two pieces of bread and poured a glass of orange juice. The perfect breakfast for a perfect day.
    I devoured e very morsel. I quickly washed and dried the dishes and went upstairs to brush my teeth and comb my hair. I emptied the bucket, put on my shoes, bounded down the stairs and out the back door.
    “Grandfather , I’m leaving for graduation,” I yelled.
    “Come home right after the ceremony. I’ll need some help when you get back.” He turned and continued working on the roof.
     
    On the drive home, I kept glancing at my diploma on the passenger seat to make sure it was real. I was eighteen, had my high school diploma, and ready to start a new life. Tonight I’d pack all my belongings, along with the three hundred dollars I’d saved, and head to Florida. Grandfather would soon be out of my life.
    I heard sirens and pulled to the side of the road. The ambulance whizzed by , its lights flashing.
    As I turned down the gravel driveway, I saw the ambulance at Grandfather’s house. The last time I remembered seeing an ambulance outside a house was when my daddy and brother died. I sped down the drive, slamming on the brakes when I got near the back door. I ran in the house and saw two paramedics.
    “What happened?” I was out of breath.
    One of the paramedics looked at me, slung his stethoscope around his neck. “You must be Sam. Your grandfather fell off the ladder and punctured a lung. He’ll be in the hospital in Maquoketa a few days.”
    The other paramedic took Grandfather’s blood pressure . W hat if he blames me for his fall ? I jumped when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
    “We’re taking him to the hospital. You can visit him tomorrow,” the paramedic said. “We’ve given him pain medication. The hospital will run tests , see if he has any other injuries.”
    “Who called you? We don’t have a phone.”
    “A man named Red called it in. Told us he was here helping fix the roof. Drove to the neighbor’s house to call to the hospital. He left ten minutes ago.”
    I glanced at Grandfather. He looked scared behind an oxygen mask. I saw that his wrists were bound to the stretcher as the paramedics took him out the back door. I’d never seen him like this—so fragile, so helpless.
    I stood in the kitchen , starring at the