long

After more than 24 hours of sheltering in place, people—still edgy from the pandemic—began to grow frustrated that the manhunt was taking so long.

Business was steady, and working long shifts behind the counter familiarized them with the neighborhood and community.

To the Karims, buying a home signified so much more than a financial commitment: It meant putting roots down in a city that, not long ago, they’d arrived in as strangers.

As for her own safety, she wasn’t overly worried: In time, she’d developed a strong line of communication with the Lewiston police, who often came by the store to manage difficult customers or to buy snacks during long shifts.

Five years earlier, Buck had been released from a long prison sentence—”15 years, 8 months, and 2 days, to be exact”—and he was deeply grateful to the Karims for hiring him despite “the stigma often associated with my personal history.”