“I am going to handle it,” I said, though my hands were cold.

The office of Monroe and Associates sat between a pediatric dentist and a dry cleaner in the brick strip mall on State Route Three.

Inside, the air smelled of old paper and carpet cleaner.

Rachel Monroe took the folded tax assessor map from my hand and laid it next to a copy of my property deed.

She was forty-eight, with sharp grey eyes and a navy blazer that looked freshly pressed.

“Your deed is very clear, Mrs.