On a Tuesday morning in late October, my assistant, Nadine, appeared at my door with a troubled expression.

“There’s a lawyer here to see you,” she said.

“He doesn’t have an appointment.”

“Which lawyer?”

“His name is Daniel Mercer.

He says it concerns an old personal matter.”

I imagined a mistake in a tax filing or a relative contesting an estate.

Then Nadine lowered her voice.