The woman nodded and opened the trunk for him. Her hands were shaking. Inside was a leather suitcase, a hanging garment bag, a box of Christmas cookies tied with ribbon, and the spare tire. Everything arranged. Expensive. Lifeless.

Noah pulled out the jack, the wrench, the spare, and knelt in the wet snow.

“Get back in the car, ma’am,” he said. “You’ll freeze.”

“I can’t just leave you like this.”

“You can. You’re already doing it.”