“Let it be, Sergeant.”

I left two of the copies on his tray so he would think he had all of them.

The third one stayed folded inside my jacket, against my ribs.

At three I walked the fence line with the clipboard and the binder, because the afternoon inspection does not care what kind of day a sergeant is having.

Behind me the post was quiet.

Ahead of me the white Mercedes came down the access road too fast for the gravel and stopped with the engine running.