“Please step around the counter and follow me to my office,” he said.

He held the blue passbook flat against his chest as if it were a fragile museum artifact.

I walked around the end of the marble counter.

Lauren followed right behind me, keeping her distance.

The thick carpet in the employee hallway swallowed the sound of our footsteps.

The air back there felt heavy and still.

We passed a long row of empty cubicles that smelled strongly of damp wool coats and stale printer toner.

Mr.