“He said he was your father, Arthur Whitmore.”

I stopped on the landing, my hand on the metal railing.

“What did he want?” I asked.

“He offered to pay your rent for the entire year in advance,” Mr.

Vance said.

“He had a cashier’s check ready.”

“I hope you did not accept it,” I said.

“I told him we do not accept third-party payments without the tenant’s signature on a modified lease agreement,” Mr.