The Widow’s Blood Debt
He just opened the door.
We drove through the North End, passing the site of the fire. I looked at the memorial park, the grass green and dew-covered in the morning light. The ghost of Marian Vane was sitting in the car behind us, but the ghost of my mother was finally at peace.
We reached the estate, the gates swinging open for the final time in this story. We walked into the solarium, the three of us standing together as the city glowed in the distance.
I took the gold-nibbed fountain pen from my pocket and opened the ledger. I turned to the very last page, beneath Leo's entry about the reinvestment of debt. I wrote three words, the ink dark and permanent.