"If I do it," she said finally, "you must not tell anyone."

Chapter Three: The Deal that Wasn't

"You hoard what belongs to the parish," he said.

Chapter Ten: The Chronicle’s Purpose

"You left," I accused.

He had allies in the town—people who feared what they could not measure. A small riot of petitions followed. Someone suggested a city ordinance. Someone else suggested a confession. The town that had once brought bread to her door now turned its face away, like a child told to forget a frightening story.