feels threshold

Stallings and I made small talk until Sonia Malone appeared at the door. She was a woman of medium height, comfortably overweight and solid-looking. Her face would have been gorgeous when she was a young woman, and it still carried that beauty, refined by years of self-confidence and steady reliability. Her eyes were reddened, and she wore no makeup, but her features seemed composed. She wore a simple dress in a floral print, her only jewelry the wedding band on her finger.
"Mr. Dresden," she said, politely. "Micky told me that you saved his life, last year."
I coughed and looked down. Though I guess that was true, technically, I still didn't see it that way. "We all did everything we could, ma'am. Your husband was very brave."
"Detective Rudolph said that I needed to invite you in."
"I don't want to go where I'm not welcome, ma'am," I replied.
Sonia wrinkled up her nose and eyed Stallings. "Put that out, Sergeant."
Stallings dropped the cigarette and mushed it out with his foot.
"All right, Mr. Dresden," she said. For a moment, her composure faltered and her lips began to tremble. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, smoothing over her features, then opened her eyes again. "If you can help my Micky, please come in. I invite you."
"Thank you," I said. I stepped forward, through the door, and felt the silent tension of the threshold parting around me like a beaded curtain rimed with frost.


Grave Peril Chapter 12, Page 111-112