She unbuttoned her heavy winter coat, reached into the deep fleece lining, and pulled out a flat bundle wrapped in wax paper and tied with yellow string.

“I took these out of the site office before Arthur changed the padlocks,” Martha said, setting the bundle on the work table.

Nathaniel untied the string and smoothed the wax paper flat under the hanging lamp.

Inside were four original yellow site timecard stubs, each stamped with the private seal of Vance Sub-Contracting.

On the top stub, Martha’s name was written in blue ink, but a bold red star had been drawn right over her recorded hours.

“Why was your name marked with a red star on the job board?” Nathaniel asked, holding the yellow paper up to the bulb.