The trees were bare on the highway south to New York. The sky was gray, the pavement a darker gray, and even the billboards seemed faded and monochrome. It happened every winter in this state. Everything just turned gray....

Ferris should have known better than to ask if Demos wanted a cup of tea. He should have known it would be an ordeal that involved driving to a speciality shop because the canister was empty, that would require a thermometer, measuring devices, and a timer. He should have...