Chapter 9 — The Binder

“Sit down, Clara,” he said, and the coldness I had heard a moment before was gone entirely, replaced by a profound and bottomless exhaustion.

He unlocked a drawer and drew out a thick black leather-bound binder, and he slid it across the polished wood toward me.

I hesitated, then lowered myself into the leather armchair facing him and opened it.

I do not know what I expected.