“Policy says I walk you,” he said before I could reply.

Ellis kept his hand under the box and walked me out.

The heavy glass doors clicked shut behind me.

Liam Brennan set two banker’s boxes on my kitchen table at seven the next morning and hung his coat over the back of a chair as if he planned to stay for a while.

“Charles labeled everything twice,” he said.

“Once for himself.

Once for whoever came along after him.”