I got up.

“One more thing,” he said.

“Your temporary assignment to the Pentagon is on hold.

Nobody over there wants a clearance under review attached to their tasking.”

The hallway outside his office had a window looking onto the parade ground.

I stood there a minute and watched a formation drilling in the heat.

—

The bank parking lot at three in the afternoon had a maple tree hanging halfway over the windshield, and I sat in the driver’s seat holding my phone because my legs weren’t ready for the brake pedal yet.