Thank you kindly.”

He hung up.

She entered the time and the unit number in the log.

The board went dark, then glowed blue again.

Claire took a sip of the decaf and set the cup back on the blotter.

She turned the clock so its face caught the light from the monitor, and the second hand swept around, steady as a heartbeat.

The yellow pen lay next to it.

She settled her headset and picked up the next incoming call.