Daniel Mercer, the attorney reviewing the papers, had prepared a list of requests so we did not spend the morning asking for a whole lifetime under one surname.

Evelyn requested the available Vance property filings for the house on Maple Street, including instruments and attachments tied to the 1998 transaction.

Older pages had to be retrieved from the archive.

The clerk explained what could be provided and what would take longer.

We waited beside the copier.

“You’ve done this before,” I said.

“Once here.

Other requests by mail.”