Sublime

Unlike the professorial Declan, Ben Diamond looks vaguely menacing, with his shaved head and black leather jacket. It takes innate command presence to pull off a look like that at age seventy-three, but Ben still has it.

Outside it’s started to snow, and fat flakes swirl beyond the window, the kind of snow that’s a delight to walk in. Bianca doesn’t look like a woman who delights in snowflakes. “As you can see, I’m settled in here, and I have a new name,” I tell her. “I’m perfectly safe.” “But Diana may be in trouble.” “Diana in trouble?” I laugh. “Yeah, that’s a g