I stayed by his bed until his breathing settled into a deep, unbroken sleep, then called a taxi to take me back to my small two-bedroom apartment near the county line.

The apartment was cold and silent when I unlocked the front door.

I didn’t turn on the living room lights.

I walked straight down the narrow hallway into my small study, where stacks of legal briefs and case files sat on the oak desk.

I sat down in the leather swivel chair, unlocked the bottom drawer with a small brass key from my keyring, and reached into the back corner.

My fingers closed around a heavy dark blue leather tube.