"Dude, she's cute, sexy, smart, has a sassy mouth, and she tried to kick me in the head."

"Sounds like love at first sight to me."

"She's blind."

"Love is --"

"Don't go there."

They found themselves outside of Madison's door, hearing the murmur of voices inside. Heda raised her hand to knock, then lowered it then raised it . . . then lowered it. Ed finally got tired and just knocked, putting his hand on his sister's shoulder when she attempted to flee.

"Yes?"

"This is Edgar and guest. Can we come in."

There was debate on the other side of the door. It got more and more heated until Heda could almost make out Madison's grumbling. She smiled. That grumbling had a special cadence which just made her smile for some reason. Then she sighed.

"Madison, please? I'm sorry for being a bitch."

More grumbling, then the deadbolt slid clear. Billy opened the door, sighed, then thrust Heda inside while he stepped outside with Edgar.

Heda felt the door groan under their weight as they leaned against it. She wondered if she should warn them that the door opened inward.

Instead, she turned to Madison, who was sitting nervously on her bed.

The braille sheets with her instructions from Reichert were scattered on the bed and one of them looked like it had been used to blow her nose.

"I hope that wasn't important," Heda said, trying to lighten the mood.

Madison picked it up and let her echolocation scan all the bumps.

"Instructions about making sure to read all the other pages," she said at last.

"It was expendable." She didn't turn the sonar on again, but felt the bed creak as Heda sat down.

"What did I do?" she asked plaintively.

"I thought that I was doing everything right.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I. . . The last couple of days have gone from weird to worse. I wanted to talk to you about something yesterday and didn't, and then today . . . I freaked out. I went and saw the images of the second victim when he was found, and I hurled.

It was humiliating, you know? I'm supposed to be the big new bird in town and I'm trying to follow in my mother's warrior footsteps, and I threw up in public. Then for Alvin to rub it in . . . it was almost as if I used the cheap shot at my mother as an excuse. I wanted to hit him and I lost my cool, and now I get to explain to this warrior hero why her daughter is starting fights at school."

Madison chewed on her bottom lip.

"What was it you wanted to tell me yesterday? I mean, I can't help you deal with your mother. Hell if I would know what to say. But what did you want to say to me?"

Heda took a deep breath, and then recounted her conversation with Reichert, which painted a slightly different picture of his conflict with Madison and his reasoning.