Michael drove them the four short blocks home.

The windows glowed with warm yellow light.

Derek had left the porch lamp on.

After Noah ate a bowl of hot chicken soup and went to his room to look at his picture books, Michael went into his home office.

The little room was perfectly still.

The manila envelope lay on the green desk blotter.

Michael opened the bottom drawer of his heavy wooden desk.

He laid the certified custody decree flat on the bottom of the drawer, right under his spare bank ledger.