The sofa and two arm chairs in the middle of the room faced a fieldstone fireplace along one wall. Rory shucked off the backpack, putting it beside the sofa. Easier to grab if he decides not to trust me, Deke figured. In one corner of the room there was a dining table with four chairs. Low bookshelves lined the wall on either side of the fireplace with a television on one of them. Opposite them was the staircase to the second floor—four steps to the landing, then taking a right angle to go the rest of the way up. Another set of taller bookshelves separated the bottom stairs from the door that opened onto his office.
“Make yourselves at home,” Deke suggested, sweeping out one arm. “Are you hungry? Would you like some supper?”
“Yes, please,” Molly replied. “I can help.”
“You know how to c
