FIRE AND HOPE ARE CONNECTED, just so you know. The way the Greeks told it, Zeus put Prometheus andEpimetheus in charge of creating life on earth. Epimetheus made the animals, giving out bonuses likeswiftness and strength and fur and wings. By the time Prometheus made man, all the best qualities had beengiven out. He settled for making them walk upright, and he gave them fire.

Zeus, pissed off, took it away. But Prometheus saw his pride and joy shivering and unable to cook. He lit atorch from the sun and brought it to man again. To punish Prometheus, Zeus had him chained to a rock,where an eagle fed on his liver. To punish man, Zeus created the first woman—Pandora—and gave her a gift,a box she was forbidden to open.

Pandora’s curiosity got the best of her, and one day she opened that box. Out came plagues and misery andmischief. She managed to shut the lid tight before hope escaped. It’s the only weapon we have left to fightthe others.

Ask any fireman; he’ll tell you it’s true. Hell. Ask any father.

“Come on up,” I say to Campbell Alexander, when he arrives with Anna. “There’s fresh coffee.” He followsme up the stairs, his German shepherd trailing. I pour two cups. “What’s the dog for?”

“He’s a chick magnet,” the lawyer says. “Got any milk?”

I pass him the carton from the fridge, then sit down with my own mug. It’s quiet up here; the boys aredownstairs washing the engines and doing their daily maintenance.

“So.” Alexander takes a sip of his coffee. “Anna tells me that you’ve both moved out.”

“Yeah. I sort of figured you might want to ask me about that.”

“You do realize that your wife is opposing counsel,” he says carefully.

I meet his eye. “I suppose by that you mean do I realize that I shouldn’t be sitting here talking to you.”

“That only becomes an issue if your wife is still representing you.”

“I never asked Sara to represent me.”

Alexander frowns. “I’m not sure she’s aware of that.”

“Look, with all due respect, this may seem like an incredibly big deal, and it is, but we have anotherincredibly big deal going on at the same time. Our older daughter’s been hospitalized and…well, Sara’sfighting on two fronts.”

“I know. And I’m sorry about Kate, Mr. Fitzgerald,” he says.

“Call me Brian.” I cup my hands around my mug. “And I would like to speak to you…without Sara around.”

He leans back in the folding chair. “How about right now?”

It’s not a good time, but it will never be a good time for this. “Okay.” I take a deep breath. “I think Anna’sright.”

At first I’m not sure Campbell Alexander’s even heard me. Then he asks, “Are you willing to tell that to thejudge at a hearing?”

I look down at my coffee. “I think I have to.”

By the time Paulie and I responded to this morning’s ambulance call, the boyfriend already had the girl in ashower. She sat on the bottom, her le............