Two weeks after Philip d'Autremont is acquitted of his wife's murder, it's time for him and his partner and lawyer, Charles Barnett, to start building their life together. But it turns out that not everyone in Atlanta is as ready to leave the trial in the past as Charles and Philip, and a surprise attack leaves Charles in the hospital and Philip's arm in a sling.<br><br>With thoughts of their own mortality fresh in their minds, Charles and Philip make a decision that will change their lives forever. Future plans and home renovations take their minds off the attacks, but the danger isn't over yet: the people behind the attacks are still at large, and they weren't acting alone.

Tribulation

The police arrived and did the investigation bit, taking statements from all of us. Their lack of enthusiasm, however, was apparent. The officer in charge promised to forward their report to Detective Howard, and they left. The excitement over, John and Joe said good-bye and left. I secured the house, and we all retired to our respective rooms for the night.


We settled down into a regular routine, and the days sped by with nothing out of the ordinary happening. I called the car dealership and ordered a new car similar to the one that had been damaged in the attack, requesting that all of its windows be tinted as darkly as the law allowed. When the damaged BMW was finally released by the police, the dealership took it as a belated trade-in.


Chapter 63