He told us Laura had no life insurance.

He told us they had fifty dollars in their savings account.

He cried on Eleanor’s shoulder for an hour.

“There’s a second file,” Howard said at a quarter to nine.

He reached into his bottom desk drawer and pulled out a stack of certified land registry deeds printed on heavy blue paper.

He spread them across the desk next to the insurance payout.

“I checked the property records for the Elm Street house,” Howard said.